British police arrest 76 at London mall protest over US police killings

LONDON – British police have arrested 76 people at a "die in" at a London shopping mall held to protest police killings in the United States.

Demonstrators gathered inside the Westfield shopping center, lying on the floor and shouting "I can't breathe," a reference to the final words of Eric Garner. He died in New York in July as he was arrested for selling untaxed cigarettes.

Police said Thursday that a small group had tried to enter the mall after the protest moved outside, "assaulting security staff and causing damage to property."

Those arrested were being questioned over suspected public order offenses.

There have been protests across the United States since grand juries decided not to indict police officers involved in the deaths of Garner and of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri.