Riverdale star says he was arrested in George Floyd protest

Riverdale actor Cole Sprouse has written an account of being arrested while taking part in a Black Lives Matter protest in Santa Monica.

Sprouse, one of the stars of the US TV drama, recounted how he was taking part in a peaceful demonstration on Sunday when he was detained by police.

Like many US cities, Santa Monica has seen protests following the death of unarmed African-American George Floyd.

"This is ABSOLUTELY not a narrative about me," Sprouse said on Instagram.

In a lengthy post, he added that his account was not intended to distract from the protesters' cause, adding: "Black Lives Matter."

He said he and other demonstrators were given the option to leave the California city, which was under a 4pm curfew on Sunday. But when they tried to go, they were faced with another line of police officers, who then detained them with zip ties.

Sprouse said: "It needs to be stated that as a straight white man, and a public figure, the institutional consequences of my detainment are nothing in comparison to others within the movement."

He added that now was a time to "contemplate what it means to stand as an ally".

He wrote: "I hope others in my position do as well. I noticed that there are cameras that roll within the police cruisers during the entirety of our detainment, hope it helps."

Sprouse said he would not be saying anything more about the arrest as he didn't want to cause a distraction from the issues at the heart of the protests.

Demonstrations have occurred across the US in response to the death of Mr Floyd, 46, who died after a white police officer knelt on his neck for more than eight minutes.

A number of celebrities including Ariana Grande, Halsey, Machine Gun Kelly and Nina Dobrev have also turned out to protest against racial injustice.

On Tuesday, the music industry is observing a day-long "blackout" to reflect on the issues surrounding Mr Floyd's death, while many broadcasters are also marking Blackout Tuesday.