The son of iconic civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr has praised New Zealand's support for the Black Lives Matter movement, which has sparked protests around the world.
Thousands of people marched at rallies in Auckland, Wellington and Dunedin yesterday afternoon.
Martin Luther King III told NZME it's "very positive" to see the marches in New Zealand and around the world.
"When people are protesting for rights, my dad used to say that the greatness of democracy, or the democratic system, is the right to protest for rights," he says.
"People are protesting for justice, for righteousness, for equality, all over the world."
At Auckland's Aotea Square yesterday, lawyer and justice advocate Julia Whaipooti said the issues prompting the marches weren't new.
"For many of us this is not a new moment in time, it is not a hashtag, it is not a photo on Instagram. It is a living and breathing fight that we must do all day everyday so that our moko don't need to stand up here and have these same conversations again," she said.
Randy Pollard told 1 NEWS about his friendship with Mr Floyd. (Source: Other)
Mr King echoed Ms Whaipooti's comments, saying the death of unarmed black man George Floyd was the "catalyst" for the recent protests.
"People all over the world are saying enough is enough, and also stating black lives matter," Mr King says.
"I would say before this point, I'm not sure that enough people understand what that meant.
"That's what people are saying and it's clear as it relates to some policing, it does not feel that black lives are important."
Yesterday's protests were the second major rallies to be held in New Zealand since Mr Floyd's death, with events also taking place two weeks ago.
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