Why has police brutality in the United States moved so many people around the world to protest? It is surely in part because of the nauseating footage documenting George Floyd’s last minutes of life. And, to some extent, the protests are a result of the globalization of social justice activism. (For what it’s worth, some government figures in Europe are keen to argue that racism in the United States has little to do with their respective countries.)

But many of the protesters who have taken to the streets in recent days are also, as they have explained, driven by a recognition that America has been—and ought to be—a standard-bearer for freedom and human dignity.

“Everyone knows that this represents more than just George Floyd, more than just America, but racism all around the world,” explained a student protester at a demonstration that began outside the U.S. embassy in London. To paraphrase: America’s founding principles make what happens here uniquely important for the cause of democracy abroad. “We join fully with the citizens of America, and particularly the young, in their struggle for a society finally free of racism,” reads a statement released by anti-racism organizations in France. Many citizens of the free world see their own destiny as inextricably bound up with America’s.