Seattle protesters unfurled umbrellas as they squared off against police officers as protests continues to roil the country following the death of George Floyd.
Some people were calling it a “pink umbrella protest” because of an incident people said occurred the day before. Here’s video of the incident with a pink umbrella that started it all.
@SeattlePD oh really? you want a link to the stream where the huge chunk prior to this moment was 100% peaceful?
this is a POLICE RIOT.
#seattleprotest
#fuckthepolice
#blacklivesmatter
“lol seattle police flooded an entire city block with tear gas after crumpling someone’s pink umbrella yesterday, and today seattle showed up with more people and more umbrellas. u love to see it,” a woman wrote. Seattle Met explained that umbrellas had become a symbol of the Seattle protests.
Of the pink umbrella that started it all, the site explained, “Language and posture had grown tense after 9pm when a police officer snatched the pink umbrella, starting a brief scuffle with its holder. Police deployed tear gas; flash bangs followed.”
According to that site, protesters returned the next day with many umbrellas. The site noted that the approach has its roots in the Hong Kong Umbrella Movement of 2014 “when tens of thousands of protesters, demanding open elections, used umbrellas to protect themselves from tear gas released by police.”
People evoked Hong Kong at the Seattle umbrella protest.
Seattle looks a hell of a lot like Hong Kong did last July right now,
Seattle police wrote, “Incident commander at demonstration on Capitol Hill is declaring the incident a riot. Crowd has thrown rocks, bottles and fireworks at officers and is attempting to breach barricades one block from the East Precinct.”
lol seattle police flooded an entire city block with tear gas after crumpling someone’s pink umbrella yesterday, and today seattle showed up with more people and more umbrellas. u love to see it
On June 2, a person wrote on Twitter, “Cops in Seattle fire off pepper spray and flash bangs after confiscating pink umbrella breaking line.”
The next day, on June 3, protesters unfurled umbrellas as they square off against cops.
I can’t get over this Seattle looks like Hong Kong once again tonight.
Amanda Snyder, a photographer with the Seattle Times, wrote, “Someone threw a few objects at police. Police saying ‘do not throw bottles at officers- this is a warning. I will give officers dispersal order.'”
Someone threw a few objects at police.
Police saying “do not throw bottles at officers- this is a warning. I will give officers dispersal order”
She added: “Police asking them to lower umbrellas so they can see.”
Police asking them to lower umbrellas so they can see
“New angle of the protests on Pine and 11th. A dense crowd tonight chanting ‘defund SPD.’ More rows of police behind their barricade as well,” Snyder wrote on Twitter.
Other Videos Have Gone Viral During the Unrest
A series of other intense videos also emerged from cities throughout the country as George Floyd protests and riots escalated into violence in some areas. For example, in Chicago there was an all-out street brawl between police officers and protesters, according to this video. In Atlanta, a video caught a bicycle officer shoving a bike at a woman. Protesters threw an American flag in a river outside Trump Tower in Chicago. In New York City, videos captured two NYPD squad cars running over protesters.
In Minneapolis, Chauvin was charged with second-degree murder, third-degree murder and manslaughter charges. Businesses were torched and looted in Minneapolis, and the protests and riots then spread throughout the country in many major cities, with some peaceful and some not.
READ NEXT: What’s Known About George Floyd’s Cause of Death.