Police issue statement ahead of Sheffield Black Lives Matter protest

A peaceful demonstration is planned to take place on Devonshire Green at 1pm to protest the death of George Floyd while in police custody and the issue of racism more widely.

It follows similar events that have taken place internationally following Mr Floyd’s death.

Assistant chief constable David Hartley said police are in contact with the event organisers ahead of tomorrow.

He said: “It is the duty of South Yorkshire Police to facilitate peaceful protest. We are currently engaging with the organisers of this protest to ensure we understand their intentions and remind them of the restrictions in place to limit the outbreak of Covid-19.

“Our liaison officers will be present on Saturday to ensure we balance the rights of those protesting and the rights of people to go about their business.”

A post on the Facebook event page for the protest read: “Organised by young people, Sheffield stands in solidarity with the protests and uprisings in US states that are demanding justice for the lives of black people murdered, including on camera and in broad daylight, due to police brutality.”

The police and crime commissioner for South Yorkshire, Dr Alan Billings, has said the ‘broken relationship between the police and the public that has happened in America must never be allowed to happen in the UK’.

On Thursday police launched an investigation after racist graffiti was scrawled on a house in Sheffield.