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'Black Lives Matter' gets first mention at UN's virtual gathering

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UNITED NATIONS: South African President Cyril Ramaphosa is the first world leader at the United Nations' annual gathering to mention the Black Lives Matter movement.

"As a country that has known too well the anguish of institutional racism, South Africa supports the demands for swift actions against racism" whether it be perpetrated by companies, states or others, he said in his pre-recorded message to the UN General Assembly.

South Africa last year marked a quarter-century since the end of the racist system of apartheid, and Ramaphosa worked closely with Nelson Mandela, the country's first Black president.

South Africa remains one of the most unequal countries in the world.

Like many African nations, it has not escaped the problem of police brutality.

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