Dozens of demonstrators gathered in King’s Lynn to show their support for the Black Lives Matter movement.

Eastern Daily Press: A Black Lives Matter protest was held at The Walks in King's Lynn on Saturday afternoon. Picture: Ian BurtA Black Lives Matter protest was held at The Walks in King's Lynn on Saturday afternoon. Picture: Ian Burt (Image: Ian Burt Photography)

The peaceful protest began at The Walks from 2pm on Saturday and saw people come together in the historic park.

They listened to speeches from a number of speakers, who each discussed the importance of promoting and striving for equality within society following the death of George Floyd last month.

Eastern Daily Press: A Black Lives Matter protest was held at The Walks in King's Lynn on Saturday afternoon. Picture: Ian BurtA Black Lives Matter protest was held at The Walks in King's Lynn on Saturday afternoon. Picture: Ian Burt (Image: Ian Burt Photography)

Several peaceful demonstrations have already taken place across Norfolk and Waveney, including in Norwich, Lowestoft and Bungay last weekend.

Jess Colville, one of the organisers of Saturday’s event, said she was “overwhelmed” by King’s Lynn’s response.

Eastern Daily Press: A Black Lives Matter protest was held at The Walks in King's Lynn on Saturday afternoon. Picture: Ian BurtA Black Lives Matter protest was held at The Walks in King's Lynn on Saturday afternoon. Picture: Ian Burt (Image: Ian Burt Photography)

“We’ve had such a fantastic turnout,” she said. “People have placards, they are listening to the speeches being made - it’s been great.

“I read about last week’s protests in Norwich and elsewhere and I was going to join them, but myself and a few friends thought ‘what about King’s Lynn?’ A lot of people in Lynn care about this issue.

Eastern Daily Press: Police officers were in attendance. Picture: Ian BurtPolice officers were in attendance. Picture: Ian Burt (Image: Ian Burt Photography)

“It’s very much a grass-roots campaign, but this is something that cannot continue and we have to allow people to have their say - so why not do that here.”

The King’s Lynn demonstration formed part of the global response to the death of Mr Floyd, an African-American man who died at the hands of police in the US city of Minneapolis on May 25.

Eastern Daily Press: A Black Lives Matter protest was held at The Walks in King's Lynn on Saturday afternoon. Picture: Ian BurtA Black Lives Matter protest was held at The Walks in King's Lynn on Saturday afternoon. Picture: Ian Burt (Image: Ian Burt Photography)

The 46-year-old’s death has since triggered an outpouring of grief and anger, with hundreds of protests across the world calling for an end to systematic racism and police brutality.

While many critics have questioned the timing of protests amid the coronavirus pandemic, Miss Colville said the safety of those taking part in the rally was a key consideration.

Eastern Daily Press: A Black Lives Matter protest was held at The Walks in King's Lynn on Saturday afternoon. Picture: Ian BurtA Black Lives Matter protest was held at The Walks in King's Lynn on Saturday afternoon. Picture: Ian Burt (Image: Ian Burt Photography)

“We understand that we are in the middle of a pandemic and our main priority when organising this was keeping people safe,” she added.

“It is all socially distanced, people are wearing face masks and we have brought along spare PPE for people to use. The crowd has been great and we’ve honestly not had any trouble at all.”

Eastern Daily Press: A Black Lives Matter protest was held at The Walks in King's Lynn on Saturday afternoon. Picture: Ian BurtA Black Lives Matter protest was held at The Walks in King's Lynn on Saturday afternoon. Picture: Ian Burt (Image: Ian Burt Photography)

Eastern Daily Press: Protesters marched around The Walks in King's Lynn. Picture: Ian BurtProtesters marched around The Walks in King's Lynn. Picture: Ian Burt (Image: Ian Burt Photography)

Eastern Daily Press: Protesters marched around The Walks in King's Lynn. Picture: Ian BurtProtesters marched around The Walks in King's Lynn. Picture: Ian Burt (Image: Ian Burt Photography)

Eastern Daily Press: Protesters marched around The Walks in King's Lynn. Picture: Ian BurtProtesters marched around The Walks in King's Lynn. Picture: Ian Burt (Image: Ian Burt Photography)

Eastern Daily Press: Protesters marched around The Walks in King's Lynn. Picture: Ian BurtProtesters marched around The Walks in King's Lynn. Picture: Ian Burt (Image: Ian Burt Photography)

Eastern Daily Press: Police officers were in attendance. Picture: Ian BurtPolice officers were in attendance. Picture: Ian Burt (Image: Ian Burt Photography)

Eastern Daily Press: Protesters marched around The Walks in King's Lynn. Picture: Ian BurtProtesters marched around The Walks in King's Lynn. Picture: Ian Burt (Image: Ian Burt Photography)

Eastern Daily Press: A Black Lives Matter protest was held at The Walks in King's Lynn on Saturday afternoon. Picture: Ian BurtA Black Lives Matter protest was held at The Walks in King's Lynn on Saturday afternoon. Picture: Ian Burt (Image: Ian Burt Photography)