The son of human rights leader Martin Luther King has praised New Zealand's involvement in the Black Lives Matter Movement, which has swept across the globe following the death of African-American man George Floyd at the hands of a police officer in Minneapolis on May 25.
Speaking with Newstalk ZB's The Weekend Collective, Martin Luther King III said it was great to see so many people protesting for human rights.
"My dad used to say the greatness of a democratic system is the right to protest for human rights, so people are protesting for justice, for righteousness and for equality all over the world," King said.
"The tragic killing of George Floyd was the catalyst which stimulated the protests."
Earlier yesterday, Atlanta's police chief resigned just hours after one of her officers shot dead 27-year-old black man Rayshard Brooks, who had fallen asleep in his car at a Wendy's fastfood restaurant drive-through, which has prompted new protests.