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Thousands of protesters marched across San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge, temporarily shutting it down to traffic

Jun 7, 2020, 06:15 IST
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Protesters shut down the Golden Gate Bridge to traffic in San Francisco on June 6, 2020.Jeff Chiu / AP Images
  • A protest against police brutality in the wake of George Floyd's death temporarily shut down the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, California.
  • Protesters were originally demonstrating on the bridge's pedestrian path, but thousands of activists ended up spilling into the traffic lanes as they marched across the Golden Gate.
  • Police officers were unable to corral protesters back onto the path, causing cars to stall and the bridge to clear.
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San Franciscans took to the Golden Gate Bridge on Saturday, amassing a crowd of thousands on the landmark to protest George Floyd's death.

The demonstration originally took place on the bridge's pedestrian path, as reported by the San Francisco Gate.

Protesters took a knee in unison on the path for eight minutes and 46 seconds, in honor of the amount of time a police officer kneeled on George Floyd's neck, which killed him according to a privately conducted autopsy.

Eventually, protesters overflowed onto the driving lanes, taking over the left side of the bridge.

The foot traffic stopped cars from entering the bridge.

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Law enforcement was unable to gain control of the protesters to bring them back to the walking path, entirely shutting down the bridge to traffic.

One side of the bridge was entirely empty of cars because of demonstrators.

Protesters weaved in and out of cars on the other side, holding up signs and chanting as they marched across the bridge.

Black Lives Matter protesters overtook the San Francisco bridge on June 6, 2020.Jeff Chiu/AP Images

The city issued a traffic warning as a result of the protesters, but the demonstrators cleared the bridge soon after it went out.

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Although the traffic stop was brief, the sight of the activists on the bridge was impressive, with the normally car-packed monument being dominated by protesters.

The demonstration is one of many being held throughout the US this weekend, with activists not losing any steam as the country reached its 11th day of protests.

San Francisco lifted its temporary curfew on Thursday, allowing protesters to continue to gather after dark. A handful of other big cities followed suit over the weekend.

The Golden Gate isn't the first bridge to be shut down to traffic as a result of protesters in recent weeks. The Manhattan Bridge in New York was stopped to traffic on Tuesday as a result of protests. The police took the opportunity to trap protesters on the bridge, leading to a mass of arrests.

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