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US BLM Protests Drive Global Online Race Debate

Henry Ridgwell

   LONDON - The May death of 46-year-old George Floyd in police custody in
   Minneapolis, and the subsequent protests across the United States and
   globally, led lawmakers from around the world to social media to
   discuss race relations, according to a new analysis from the U.S.-based
   Pew Research Center.

   The research shows that almost half of lawmakers who are active on
   Twitter in four countries -- Britain, Canada, Australia and New Zealand
   -- posted messages referencing Floyd's death and the Black Lives Matter
   protests. Floyd was African American.

   "Prior to George Floyd's killing, very few had used the phrase Black
   Lives Matter or hashtags related to that movement, only about 4%. And
   now we see that after George Floyd's killing, those who are weighing in
   on these topics shoots up to about half," said Kat Devlin, a Pew
   research associatewho spoke to VOA via Skype.

   Black Lives Matter protests were held in London and cities across
   Britain, as well as Paris, Berlin, Tokyo, Sydney, Auckland and
   elsewhere.

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