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Thousands of people are expected to gather at Centennial Square Sunday afternoon for a rally to show support for the Black Lives Matter movement.

The Peace Rally for Black Lives is also billed as a vigil for George Floyd, a black man who was killed by a white Minneapolis police officer on May 25. Derek Chauvin, the officer who kneeled on Floyd’s neck for nearly nine minutes while Floyd said he couldn’t breathe, and witnesses begged him to stop, has been charged with second-degree murder.

Video footage of Floyd’s death has sparked protests across the U.S., Canada and the world against police brutality and the killing of unarmed black people at the hands of police officers.

“Let us stand in peace and solidarity for black lives,” organizers wrote on the Victoria rally’s Facebook page.

Organizers are asking people to wear black for solidarity or white for peace.

Victoria Police Chief Del Manak said he will be attending the rally to show support for the movement.

“I want to be there, and I want to lend my voice and my support to standing up to any forms of hate racism and discrimination,” Manak said.

Given that much of the current conversation centres around questioning the role of police and calling for greater scrutiny and accountability of police, Manak said he reached out to organizers to gauge their comfort level with him attending.

“It’s something that I believe quite strongly in. But I didn’t want to do it without their blessing and support,” Manak said.

At the suggestion of organizers, he won’t be in uniform.

As with all large protests, uniformed police officers will be present “to ensure the protest is safe, peaceful, and lawful,” Manak said.

The rally is scheduled from 4 to 8 p.m. Sunday at Centennial Square.