George Floyd killing stirs Asian feelings on region’s own racial strife, from police custody deaths in Malaysia to Chinese privilege in Singapore

The death of the unarmed black man in Minnesota has prompted Asians not only to demonstrate, but to reflect on their own prejudices too

In Malaysia, Indians are most likely to die in custody; in Indonesia, Papuans have long faced discrimination; in Singapore, there is a notion of Chinese privilege

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Protesters outside the New Zealand parliament in Wellington demonstrate against the killing by US police of Minneapolis man George Floyd. Photo: AFP

Published: 7:30pm, 2 Jun 2020Updated: 10:16am, 4 Jun 2020

The death of George Floyd has fuelled protests across the United States, but also sparked a reaction across Asia, with demonstrations in Japan, Australia and New Zealand, and a flurry of online discussions on racial discrimination in Singapore and Malaysia.

Since a video that showed Floyd, an unarmed black man in Minnesota, struggling to breathe as he was pinned down at the neck by a white police officer went viral last week, Black Lives Matter demonstrations against racial injustice and excessive force by police have taken place in more than 100 cities across the US.

These turned violent in recent days, with thousands of arrests made as riot police used tear gas to disperse crowds and at least 40 cities imposed curfews on Monday.

Peaceful protests have also taken place in London, Berlin, Milan and Auckland, with more planned in several Australian cities. In Perth on Monday evening, protesters held signs that read “We can’t breathe” and “Black Lives Matter”.

Supporters of the Black Lives Matter movement in London protest against the killing of George Floyd while in police custody in the United States. Photo: EPA

Hundreds of protesters also gathered in Shibuya, Tokyo, on Saturday after a video of police officers pinning and grabbing the neck of a Kurdish man stopped by traffic police on May 22 went viral. The protesters gathered to accuse the officers of racism and denounce Floyd’s death, chanting “Do not discriminate against foreigners”.

RACIAL STRIFE