Black lives matter

TIMEやNew York Timesだとどうしても日本発、東京発のニュースが捉えられないので、NHK WorldやJapan Timesの存在はありがたいですが、Fergusonのデモが東京でも１２月６日に行われたそうですが、Japan Timesなどは取り上げていませんでした。今回のデモはMetropolisがカバーしてくれていました。規模が小さいのでニュースバリューが小さいと判断されたのでしょうが、こういう動きが日本でもあったんですね。デモ参加を呼びかけるポスターを見るとDress Code: ALL BLACKとありますので、ほとんどの人が黒づくめの服装なのでしょう

community
TOKYO FOR FERGUSON
Japan protests police brutality
BY MARTIN LEROUX | POSTED 3 DAYS AGO | ISSUE 1083

The fatal shooting of Michael Brown, an unarmed black teenager accused of burglary, by white police officer Darren Wilson in Ferguson, Missouri, this August continues to spark global outrage. Furthermore, the grand jury’s decision in November not to persecute Wilson was met with nationwide protests that brought to the forefront the issue of police brutality and violence against black people in the United States.

On December 6, Tokyo-based African American Youth Travel Program (AAYTP), a non-profit organization providing underprivileged African American youth new experiences and opportunities through travel, responded to the verdict by organizing a peaceful demonstration, with the support of the Tokyo community. Participants rallied to show support for the Ferguson protests and raise awareness for prejudice faced by black people stateside at the hands of law enforcement.

日本でこの問題の扱いが小さいことはこの記事でも問題視されていますが、同時にデモ実現に向けたサポートをしてくれたのも事実のようです。

“The initial incidents themselves did not gain much attention in Japanese media,
and also the fact that the history of discrimination is something that is not necessarily talked about in Japan,” she states, explaining that Japanese coverage of Ferguson was minimal until the verdict of Wilson’s non-indictment. “Most people who are unaware of the cultural differences are shocked that we still suffer discrimination in the USA.”
（中略）
However, Harper expresses appreciation for the amount of support coming from the community in Japan.
“I am grateful for all the people around the world who are bringing to light the injustice that we as African Americans face on a daily basis. It is also very admiring to know that, in Japan, people can openly feel and understand these issues—and want to also help to make a change.”

デモのYoutube動画を見ると、“Hands Up, Don’t Shoot” “No Justice, No Peace” “I can’t breathe.”と声を上げているのが多かったですね。実際にMichael Brownが両手を挙げてこの言葉を発したことよりも、差別への抗議メタファーとして機能するようになっていることをWikipediaもすでに触れています。

（Wikipedia）
"Hands up" as a metaphor and a movement
Witness accounts differ whether Michael Brown actually had his hands up or uttered the words "don't shoot." Among some who support the gesture as means of expressing opposition to police violence, "hands up, don't shoot" has a symbolic meaning, independent of whether Brown's hands were raised. As one protester remarked, "Even if you don't find that it's true, it's a valid rallying cry... it's just a metaphor."
Speaking to the Daily Mail, Elizabeth Brondolo, a psychology professor at St. John's University in New York, said "The truth always really matters, but it's important to recognize that past experience to stereotypes also influences the perception of hands being raised."

ハートマークの絵文字をWord of the Yearに選んだGlobal Language Monitorは“Hands Up, Don’t Shoot”をTop Phrase of 2014にしていました。

“Hands Up, Don’t Shoot” and “No Justice, No Peace” and are the Top Trending Phrases of the Year
New Haven, CT August 22, 2014 — “Hands Up, Don’t Shoot” and “No Justice, No Peace” are the Top Trending Phrases of 2014, according to the Global Language Monitor, which has been tracking major shifts in English language word usage since 2003. The phrases emanate from the Ferguson, MO, shooting death of the unarmed Michael Brown. Over the last ten days, protesters shouting “Hands Up, Don’t Shoot” and “No Justice, No Peace” while holding up their hands in the universal position of surrender, have appeared in cities across the nation, in NFL stadiums, on university and college campuses, and other venues.

Hands Up, Don’t Shoot” and “No Justice, No Peace” have melded into any number of memes as the power of memes has demonstrated an ever larger effect on global communication”, said Paul JJ Payack, president and Chief Word Analyst for GLM.

Yale Law School's libraryは"I can't breathe!"を１位に"Hands up! Don't shoot!"を３位に選んでいます。

Ferguson
"Hands Up, Don't Shoot" Makes Yale's List of Top 10 Quotes from 2014
By Lindsay Toler Wed., Dec. 10 2014 at 8:00 AM
90 Comments

Fred Shapiro, an associate director at Yale Law School's library who annually updates the Yale Book of Quotations, named "Hands up, don't shoot" the year's third most important quote. Shapiro says he chooses quotes that are famous, culturally important or reflective of the spirit of the times.

Another protest rallying cry referencing police brutality and race in America took the No. 1 spot. "I can't breathe," repeated by Eric Garner while he was being choke-held to death by a police officer in New York, tops the quote list.

1. "I can't breathe!" - Eric Garner, videotaped exclamation while being held by a policeman in New York, July 17.
2. "Time for some traffic problems in Fort Lee." - Bridget Anne Kelly, an aide to New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, in an email to David Wildstein quoted in the New York Times, January 9.
3. "Hands up! Don't shoot!" - Chant of demonstrators protesting the shooting death of Michael Brown, Ferguson, Missouri, August.
4. "Mr. Commissioner, we found out by one phone call. You guys have a whole legal department. Can you explain that?" - TMZ reporter Adam Glyn questioning NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell on why the NFL had not been able to view video of the Ray Rice incident, at a news conference on September 19.
5. "It bothers me a lot that you want to broadcast that you're associating with black people." - Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling, in a remark to V. Stiviano on an audio recording quoted in the Los Angeles Times, April 27.

下記の記事で"I can't breathe!"というフレーズが持つ影響力を知ることができます。

Post Nation
‘I can’t breathe.’ Eric Garner’s last words are 2014′s most notable quote, according to a Yale librarian.
By Elahe Izadi December 9

東京でもこういう抗議活動がされたのを知って、TimeがPersons of the Yearの２位にThe Activists Ferguson Protestersを選んだ意義を感じ取れた感じがします。