Black Lives Matter movement nominated for Nobel Peace Prize after global impact – World News

The Black Lives Matter movement has been nominated for a 2021 Nobel Peace prize.

It is being hailed for inspiring people in countries around the world to band together in a call for an end to systemic racism.

The global movement came to the fore at the death of unarmed black man George Floyd, after a police officer knelt on his neck.

Protests spread across the globe, as the incident became a flashpoint for action in years of calls for justice over police brutality and routine racism in the United States.

Over the course of the last year, the movement spread and broadened into a klaxon call for an end to racial injustices across the world.

In the UK, the movement also turned the spotlight onto the bloody legacy of Britain’s colonial history, leading protesters to take to the streets to topple slavers’ statues.

The demonstrations rippled around the world as countries grappled with the coronavirus pandemic.

A 2020 report from the  Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project  showed that about 93% of the protests in the US since Floyd’s death last May were peaceful and non-destructive.

Norwegian MP Petter Eide nominated the global BLM movement “for their struggle against racism and racially motivated violence”.

According to CNN, the Socialist Left party politician wrote in his official nomination papers: “BLM’s call for systemic change have spread around the world, forcing other countries to grapple with racism within their own societies.”

The BLM movement traces its origins back to 2012 after the shooting death of Trayvon Martin in Florida.

It was founded by Alicia Garza, Patrisse Cullors and Opal Tometi, and has gained wider recognition throughout the events of 2020.

The movement rapidly spread around the world since Floyd’s death in May, as millions – bolstered by the connectivity of social media – organised action in the streets and declared solidarity with the cause.

Mr Eide, a former secretary general of Amnesty International Norway, told CNN he saw the legacy from the US civil rights movement and the anti-apartheid movement in South Africa in today’s BLM movement.

“The Norwegian Nobel Committee has always recognized a strong connection between racial justice and peace,” he added.

Russian dissident Alexei Navalny, the World Health Organisation and young climate campaigner Greta Thunberg are among others nominated for this year’s Nobel Peace Prize.

All are backed by Norwegian lawmakers who have a track record of picking the winner.

Thousands of people, from members of parliaments worldwide to former winners, are eligible to propose candidates.

Nominations closed on Sunday and do not imply an endorsement from the Nobel committee.

Thunberg was named as one of “the foremost spokespeople in the fight against the climate crisis”, with the campaigning group she co-founded, Fridays for Future, also receiving a nod.

Navalny, nominated by Russian academics, was named for his “efforts for a peaceful democratisation of Russia”.

Other nominees include former US President Donald Trump, NATO and the United Nations refugee agency.

The 2021 laureate will be announced in October.