Shocking footage has emerged showing a 'full-on looting street party' in Soho, New York City, on Tuesday night, as Mayor Bill de Blasio downplayed the extent of rioting across the city. The video, which has gone viral on Twitter, captures hundreds of people gathering in the streets, with some dancing on top of cars and others filming the chaotic scenes.
The footage was posted online at 10.21pm, shortly after de Blasio told CNN that there was 'no unrest, no looting' in Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island, and most of the Bronx and Manhattan. He insisted that the situation was 'a very different reality' compared to the previous night, following the introduction of an earlier 8pm curfew.
Soho, an affluent area, has been particularly hard-hit by looters in recent nights, with designer stores being destroyed and ransacked. Looters have also targeted businesses across other parts of Manhattan and Brooklyn. The NYPD arrested 280 people on Tuesday night, down from 700 on Monday.
The unrest follows the death of George Floyd, a 46-year-old black man killed last Monday when a white police officer knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes. The incident has sparked peaceful protests across the US demanding an end to racism and police brutality, but some demonstrations have turned violent at night, with rioters and looters trashing businesses.
