Rising Against Racism, a local human rights group, on Saturday staged a walk in protest to petition the US government to protect and respect the lives of black people in the United States of America. 

Protesters knelt down in front of the U.S Embassy gate at Kairaba Avenue for nearly 9 minutes, the minutes a U.S police officer knelt on George Floyd’s neck which resulted in the blackman’s death.

They held placards bearing #blacklivesmatter.

An official of the group, Momodou King Colley, said: “In essence, we are not here to appeal to the United States to respect and protect the rights of blacks, but we are demanding it.

“Otherwise, the United States government should ask themselves whether they want to live in isolation.

Mr Colley added: “We cannot and will not allow their Embassies to operate in our various countries while they continue to treat black people with complete disregard and contempt,”

The group’s protest emerged as first Gambian group to locally protest against the death of Momodou Lamin Sise and George Floyd at the hands of U.S. police. 

Reporting by Adama Makasuba