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Thousands march in Copenhagen in protest against George Floyd’s death

Ayee Macaraig
June 2nd, 2020


This article is more than 4 years old.

Crowds gathered outside US Embassy in Østerbro before walking to Christiansborg

Three words that have haunted humanity this past week (photo: Singlespeedfahrer)

About 2,000 people came out onto the streets of Copenhagen on Sunday in solidarity with global protests against the death of George Floyd, the African-American man killed in US police custody on May 25.

Protesters gathered outside the US Embassy in Østerbro at around 14:00 and then marched to Christiansborg, chanting: “No justice, no peace. Prosecute the police.”

They also carried signs saying “Black Lives Matter” in reference to the US movement against police violence and racism against African-Americans.

Violent and unethical
“I think it’s unfair that people around the world are treated so poorly regardless of their skin colour. There is also racism in Denmark. We are citizens of the world, after all, so this is important to mark. I think what happened is violent and unethical,” Lea Rejmers told DR as she joined the protest.

Floyd, an unarmed black man, died on May 25 in Minneapolis after a white police officer knelt on his neck for almost nine minutes, despite him repeatedly saying “I can’t breathe” before losing consciousness.

His death has sparked protests across the US and in various world capitals such as London and Berlin.

Trump’s threat
US President Donald Trump has threatened to send in the military to quell growing civil unrest following Floyd’s death, which has included widespread looting and violence in many American cities and states.

In Copenhagen, police chief Henrik Svejstrup said the demonstration was peaceful.

Protester Anita Mac said she was dismayed at the events in the US.

“I am deeply appalled that something like this can happen. It affects us all. We have people from all countries here so it’s a question of solidarity,” she told DR.


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A survey carried out by Megafon for TV2 has found that 71 percent of parents have handed over children to daycare in spite of them being sick.

Moreover, 21 percent of those surveyed admitted to medicating their kids with paracetamol, such as Panodil, before sending them to school.

The FOLA parents’ organisation is shocked by the findings.

“I think it is absolutely crazy. It simply cannot be that a child goes to school sick and plays with lots of other children. Then we are faced with the fact that they will infect the whole institution,” said FOLA chair Signe Nielsen.

Pill pushers
At the Børnehuset daycare institution in Silkeborg a meeting was called where parents were implored not to bring their sick children to school.

At Børnehuset there are fears that parents prefer to pack their kids off with a pill without informing teachers.

“We occasionally have children who that they have had a pill for breakfast,” said headteacher Susanne Bødker. “You might think that it is a Panodil more than a vitamin pill, if it is a child who has just been sick, for example.”

Parents sick and tired
Parents, when confronted, often cite pressure at work as a reason for not being able to stay at home with their children.

Many declare that they simply cannot take another day off, as they are afraid of being fired.

Allan Randrup Thomsen, a professor of virology at KU, has heavily criticised the parents’ actions, describing the current situation as a “vicious circle”.

“It promotes the spread of viruses, and it adds momentum to a cycle where parents are pressured by high levels of sick-leave. If they then choose to send the children to daycare while they are still recovering, they keep the epidemic going in daycares, and this in turn puts a greater burden on the parents.”