{{AFP}} – {{Thousands protested in London on Wednesday in sympathy with demonstrations across the US over the killing of a black teenager by a white police officer.}}<\/p>\n
The decision not to prosecute the officer for shooting dead unarmed 18-year-old Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, sparked anger and racially-charged unrest in cities across the United States this week.<\/p>\n
The roughly five thousand London protesters held signs reading “Black lives matter” and chanted “Hands up, don’t shoot”, the slogan adopted by protesters in the US.<\/p>\n
At a rally outside the United States embassy, relatives of black men killed by police in Britain addressed the crowd.<\/p>\n
“We need to send a message to Mike Brown’s family,” said Carol Duggan, the aunt of Mark Duggan, a 29-year-old black man whose shooting by police in 2011 was followed by riots.<\/p>\n
“We feel the pain, we know the pain, of losing somebody at the hands of the police.<\/p>\n
View galleryDemonstrators hold up placards and march down Oxford …
\nDemonstrators hold up placards and march down Oxford Street in central London on November 26, 2014 d \u2026
\n“That is why we stand in solidarity with the community of Ferguson. I feel they are very strong and brave people.”<\/p>\n
Some protesters carried candles, and a minute of silence was held in honour of those killed by police around the world.<\/p>\n
Marcia Rigg, the sister of Sean Rigg, a 40-year-old black musician who died in police custody in London in 2008, told the crowd that she did not support arson and looting but that she understood people’s rage.<\/p>\n
“People around the world understand the frustration and anger that the people are feeling when our loved ones are murdered on the streets,” Rigg said.<\/p>\n
Over two thousand National Guard soldiers were deployed to back up the police in Ferguson, a suburb of 21,000 inhabitants outside the city of St Louis, after fires and looting at protests this week.<\/p>\n
The outcry followed a conclusion by a grand jury that police officer Darren Wilson acted in self-defence. Wilson has said that he believes he acted appropriately.<\/p>\n
Following the vigil at the embassy, the crowd marched through London’s central shopping district, stopping traffic on Oxford Street and Regent Street as they chanted “Don’t shoot black kids”.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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