Some 40 people were arrested in New York City on Thursday during a protest over the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota, local media reported.

Over 100 people gathered in Manhattan's Union Square Thursday afternoon to express their anger over what they called police brutality that led to Floyd's death.

The protesters chanted slogans, including "I can't breathe", while standing in lines face to face with dozens of policemen. Some of them used abusive language toward police.

Floyd, a 46-year-old black man, died in custody on Monday evening after a white police officer held him down with a knee on his neck for nearly 10 minutes. Floyd repeatedly pleaded "I can't breathe" during the encounter.

"I can't breathe" was also what Eric Garner, a black man in New York's Staten Island, repeatedly said before his chokehold deaths in 2014 by a white officer. Garner's death galvanized the nationwide "Black Lives Matter" movement.

Police arrested some 40 protesters after several scuffles and a fight between the two sides. Local news channel ABC said someone threw a trash can to police and another tried to grab an officers' gun, while NBC reported that a protester punched an officer in the face.

Demonstrations, for the same reason, took place as well in cities like Los Angeles and Memphis, according to media reports, while large-scale protests have turned violent in Minneapolis, for which Minnesota Governor Tim Walz on Thursday declared a state of emergency.

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