Turkey Hails Anti-Racist Protests In US

Turkey's ruling party spokesman on Wednesday hailed demands for equality as anti-racist protests continue in the country after the killing of African-American man George Floyd.

Turkey is against all groups trying to turn legitimate protests in the US violent and bring public order under their destructive influence, said Omer Celik, spokesman for the Justice and Development (AK) Party, after a party board meeting.

The US has been facing protests since last week when a video went viral showing Floyd being pinned down by Derek Chauvin, a white police officer in Minneapolis, Minnesota, as he was being arrested.

Chauvin knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes.

Shortly after, Floyd appeared to lose consciousness, but Chauvin maintained his position on the victim.

He died shortly after being taken to a hospital.

His last words were "I can't breathe," which became the slogan of the nationwide protests.

An independent autopsy on Monday found that Floyd was killed by "asphyxiation from sustained pressure." -