VIDEO: Huge protests - Despite widespread crackdown on protesters, a large crowd took to the streets in New York to protest against racism and inequality

People marched in Washington, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, London, Berlin, Paris, Sydney and elsewhere, with turnout reaching the tens of thousands in some cities.

Washington alone hosted a dozen different rallies. In Chicago there were at least five, and in New York City, protesters turned out to dozens of events in all five boroughs.

Demonstrators filled the streets in cities around the world Saturday, staging some of the largest and most peaceful protests against racism since a 46-year-old black man, George Floyd, was killed on Memorial Day after a Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck.

The daytime weekend protests were huge but almost entirely peaceful, but tensions were growing in several cities overnight with reports of flash bangs used in Seattle and a man driving a car into protesters in Brooklyn.

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Chicago police reported they made no arrests as an estimated 30,000 people thronged the streets there Saturday afternoon.

The marches attracted more children and families than the events of recent days. In Atlanta, a band played for people on the street. In Philadelphia, the mayor and police chief knelt in solidarity with demonstrators. Even Vidor, Tex., a small town known for a history of Ku Klux Klan rallies and excluding blacks after sundown, held a small rally.

The protests have also provided new fodder for the movement to end police brutality, as cellphone videos have emerged showing police using aggressive tactics against demonstrators.