DEMONSTRATIONS have taken place in Welshpool and Machynlleth to show support for the Black Lives Matter movement.

The Welshpool demonstration took place at the roundabout by Tesco in the town on Thursday night and was organised by Welshpool High School pupil Holly Lawson, 17.

The Welshpool event follows multiple events held across the country, including London and Liverpool following the death of George Floyd in the United States.

African-American George Floyd, 46, was killed on May 25 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. While being arrested by Derek Chauvin, a white American police officer, the officer kept his knee on the side of Mr Floyd's neck for almost nine minutes while Mr Floyd was handcuffed and lying face down.

On May 29, Chauvin was charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter for Mr Floyd's death, while large-scale protests have occurred in all 50 US states, with similar protests being held across the globe, including the UK.

Holly said that she felt it was important that Welshpool showed solidarity.

She said: "I felt like there was not much we could do, being such a small place, but that we had to do something to show support.

"I noticed there was nothing planned for Welshpool so I put stuff on social media.

"There were only five of us initially but we ended up with 11, and it took place at the roundabout so people could see us and show support.

"Lots of drivers slowed down and gave us thumbs up so I was pleased with how it went."

In Machynlleth more than 100 people gathered to stand in support and solidarity.

“This is an important moment to show solidarity and stand together in the fight against racism that people confront on a daily basis and a reminder that it exists in our own communities as well. All of us are part of the everyday battle against racism in our society.” Kim Bryan a spokesperson for the demonstration 

The demonstrators marched through Machynlleth with signs and gathered at the end to hear powerful voices from the local community speaking up against racism. 

“We have seen how black people have been disproportionally affected by COVID-19, BAME people across the UK face systemic discrimination. The demands to build back better after the COVID crisis to must include ta commitment to racial justice," Kim Bryan added.

The organisers thanked everyone attending for wearing masks and maintaining a two-metre distance from each other. Marshalls were on hand to hand out masks and to ensure that people respected physical distancing guidelines. 

"The safety of the participants and the community was very much respected," said Tegwen Brickley.

"There were very few people without masks and everyone was spread out, often with more than 2m between household groups on the Plas lawn and the March. The police attended and had no issues with the compliance to lockdown regulations."