Thousands of people have gathered outside an Oxford college to demand the removal of a statue of imperialist Cecil Rhodes.
A group of councillors earlier backed the campaign to remove it and called on Oxford University to "decolonise".
Twenty-six Oxford city councillors signed a letter saying the figure at Oriel College was "incompatible" with the city's "commitment to anti-racism".
Oriel College said it "abhors racism and discrimination in all its forms".
Campaigners said Rhodes, a 19th Century businessman and politician in southern Africa, represented white supremacy and is steeped in colonialism and racism.
A statue of slaveholder Robert Milligan was earlier removed from outside the Museum of London Docklands after mayor Sadiq Khan said any links to slavery "should be taken down".
At the protest, organisers from the Rhodes Must Fall group drew chalk crosses on either side of High Street in Oxford outside the college's entrance to enforce social distancing.
Protesters chanted "take it down" and then held a silence for 8 minutes and 46 seconds in memory of George Floyd - the same length of time a white police officer was seen to kneel on his neck.
The protest coincided with George Floyd's funeral in Houston.
In London about 50 activists gathered at Nelson Mandela's statue in Parliament Square to observe a minute's silence in his before marching to Downing Street.
Protesters outside Oriel College
Protesters filled Oxford's High Street and traffic was rerouted
Oxford's two MPs joined calls to remove the Rhodes statue, which have reignited after the statue of Edward Colston, a 17th Century slave trader, was toppled in Bristol on Sunday.
About 240,000 people had signed online petitions by 19:30 BST calling for the statue's removal, while city councillors said in a letter that the "city's public art and monuments should reflect its values".
Why is Cecil Rhodes such a controversial figure?
"The presence of this statue on our high street is incompatible with our city's proud internationalist heritage and commitment to anti-racism," added the letter, which was signed by most of Labour's 34 councillors on the 48-seat council.
City council leader Susan Brown did not sign the letter with her Labour colleagues but tweeted saying she had "great sympathy" with the campaign.
She urged the college to apply to the council for planning permission to remove the statue.
Because of its Grade II-listed status, she said, it could be "placed in a museum, such as the Ashmolean or the Museum of Oxford".
Protestors have been calling for the statue of the British Imperialist Cecil Rhodes to be removed for several years.
Femi Nylander, Rhodes Must Fall campaigner, told the BBC the university needed to improve its representation of black students, "decolonise" its curriculum and remove the statue.
"They should not be continuing to celebrate this man," he added. "Having a statue is a celebration."
'Must come down'
In an open letter to the university's vice-chancellor Louise Richardson, a host of Oxford student groups and organisations said the university had "failed to address its institutional racism" and set out a series of demands to "make upholding anti-racist values a reality".
Anneliese Dodds, the shadow chancellor and Oxford East MP, said: "[The statue's] presence is a visible symbol of racism and prejudice for many. It is clear that there is now an overwhelming consensus for its removal.
"I support Susan Brown's call for Oriel College to seek a means of removing the statue."
Layla Moran, the Liberal Democrat Oxford West and Abingdon MP, said the Rhodes statue "must come down" but said she did not endorse "vigilante action".
Twenty-six Oxford city councillors signed a letter saying the figure at Oriel College was "incompatible" with the city's "commitment to anti-racism".
Oriel College said it "abhors racism and discrimination in all its forms".
Campaigners said Rhodes, a 19th Century businessman and politician in southern Africa, represented white supremacy and is steeped in colonialism and racism.
A statue of slaveholder Robert Milligan was earlier removed from outside the Museum of London Docklands after mayor Sadiq Khan said any links to slavery "should be taken down".
At the protest, organisers from the Rhodes Must Fall group drew chalk crosses on either side of High Street in Oxford outside the college's entrance to enforce social distancing.
Protesters chanted "take it down" and then held a silence for 8 minutes and 46 seconds in memory of George Floyd - the same length of time a white police officer was seen to kneel on his neck.
The protest coincided with George Floyd's funeral in Houston.
In London about 50 activists gathered at Nelson Mandela's statue in Parliament Square to observe a minute's silence in his before marching to Downing Street.
Protesters outside Oriel College
Protesters filled Oxford's High Street and traffic was rerouted
Oxford's two MPs joined calls to remove the Rhodes statue, which have reignited after the statue of Edward Colston, a 17th Century slave trader, was toppled in Bristol on Sunday.
About 240,000 people had signed online petitions by 19:30 BST calling for the statue's removal, while city councillors said in a letter that the "city's public art and monuments should reflect its values".
Why is Cecil Rhodes such a controversial figure?
"The presence of this statue on our high street is incompatible with our city's proud internationalist heritage and commitment to anti-racism," added the letter, which was signed by most of Labour's 34 councillors on the 48-seat council.
City council leader Susan Brown did not sign the letter with her Labour colleagues but tweeted saying she had "great sympathy" with the campaign.
She urged the college to apply to the council for planning permission to remove the statue.
Because of its Grade II-listed status, she said, it could be "placed in a museum, such as the Ashmolean or the Museum of Oxford".
Protestors have been calling for the statue of the British Imperialist Cecil Rhodes to be removed for several years.
Femi Nylander, Rhodes Must Fall campaigner, told the BBC the university needed to improve its representation of black students, "decolonise" its curriculum and remove the statue.
"They should not be continuing to celebrate this man," he added. "Having a statue is a celebration."
'Must come down'
In an open letter to the university's vice-chancellor Louise Richardson, a host of Oxford student groups and organisations said the university had "failed to address its institutional racism" and set out a series of demands to "make upholding anti-racist values a reality".
Anneliese Dodds, the shadow chancellor and Oxford East MP, said: "[The statue's] presence is a visible symbol of racism and prejudice for many. It is clear that there is now an overwhelming consensus for its removal.
"I support Susan Brown's call for Oriel College to seek a means of removing the statue."
Layla Moran, the Liberal Democrat Oxford West and Abingdon MP, said the Rhodes statue "must come down" but said she did not endorse "vigilante action".
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