Americans march for racial justice on Juneteenth anniversary, topple Confederate statue
- The day to commemorate the end of slavery in the United States comes amid widespread protests and anger over the death of George Floyd
- In Washington, protesters toppled a controversial Confederate statue and set it on fire
Americans took to the streets of cities around the country on Friday to demand racial justice on a day heavy with symbolism – the Juneteenth holiday commemorating the end of slavery in the United States.
Marches and rallies were being held in Atlanta, Chicago, New York, Washington and other cities against a backdrop of weeks of protests fuelled by the deaths of African Americans at the hands of police.
Protesters in Washington toppled a statue of a Confederate general late on Friday and set it on fire.
In a stark illustration of the tensions roiling the nation, President Donald Trump issued a solemn White House statement commemorating Juneteenth while at the same time threatening protesters on Twitter.
Juneteenth marks the day – June 19, 1865 – when a Union general arrived in Galveston, Texas and informed slaves that they were free – two months after the Civil War had ended and two-and-a-half years after president Abraham Lincoln had issued the Emancipation Proclamation.
Juneteenth is generally celebrated with prayer services and family gatherings but it comes this year amid a national soul-searching over America’s legacy of racial injustice.