A peace activist in Charlotte, North Carolina, has been offering police and protesters free hugs in an attempt to calm three nights of unrest that have engulfed the city in the wake of the shooting of a black man by police.
In a video that was posted online on Thursday (September 22) by the Free Hugs Project, activist Ken Nwadike is seen hugging two riot policemen at a protest on Wednesday. Protesters are then heard shouting abuse at Nwadike who then proceeds to explain his message and why he is offering free hugs. The video of Nwadike has gone viral with over 25 million views on the Free Hugs Project facebook page.
Charlotte has seen three nights of protests demanding justice for Keith Scott, 43, who was shot dead by a black police officer in the parking lot of an apartment complex on Tuesday afternoon.
Police have fired tear gas and non-lethal projectiles to break up protests and rioters have smashed storefront windows, looted businesses and thrown objects at police, prompting officials to declare a state of emergency and the city's mayor to enact a curfew.
Scott's death is the latest to stir passions in the United States over the police use of deadly force against black men. Protests have asserted racial bias and excessive force by police and have given rise to the Black Lives Matter movement.
Police say Scott was carrying a gun when he approached officers and ignored repeated orders to drop it. His family previously said he was holding a book, not a firearm, and now says it has more questions than answers after viewing two videos recorded by police body cameras.
Nwadike founded the Free Hugs Project in 2014 after the Boston bombings and has been travelling around the U.S. handing out free hugs ever since.