Why Justin Trudeau knelt for eight minutes and 46 seconds

Parliament Hill : Making a surprise appearance at an anti-racism protest on the parliament hill, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau showed his support to activists demanding fairer treatment from police for minorities.

He appeared between the large crowd on Friday and knelt for eight minutes and 46 seconds – this is the exact time which is how long a Minneapolis police officer held down African-American man George Floyd with his knee on his neck before he died.

George Floyd lost his life on May 25 under police custody and all the four police officers are now facing charges.

According to a news report, Justin Trudeau tried to blend into the crowd but due to security personnel around him, it was easy to notice his presence around the Centennial Flame on the lawn at Parliament Hill.

Trudeau told his security detail to stop pushing people as he made his way closer to the stage where the speakers were addressing the crowd.

In the beginning, he was welcomed with harsh chants like "Stand up to Trump" and "Go away".

Trudeau was asked this week to respond to the President's threat to deploy active duty military personnel on protesters in US cities — a question that Trudeau answered after a 21-second pause, said the CBC News report.

Protesters in other cities have asked police officers to kneel to show respect for black people who have been killed in police custody.

Toronto Police Chief Mark Saunders also took a knee during a protest in that city on Friday.