Tens of thousands of protesters descended on a small town in Louisiana yesterday to protest what they say is injustice against six black teenagers charged over a high school fight.
Protesters march in support of the
The case stems from August last year when three nooses were found hanging from a tree at the high school in the town of 3,000 northwest of New Orleans. Nooses have been seen as a symbol of racial lynchings of blacks.
Black residents said that incident stoked tension in the town, and in December the six teenagers were charged with assault after a white classmate was beaten up.
Charges against some of the youths were later raised to attempted murder, drawing accusations from protesters that they had been excessively charged. Those charges have since been reduced.
Protesters arrived in buses and cars from cities such as New York, Atlanta, Los Angeles and New Orleans for a rally in support of the "Jena 6".
The case has become a symbol for many black Americans of a wider struggle against racism and perceived discrimination against black males by the criminal justice system.