Family and friends of Brent murder victims Josh Hanson, Luke Fitzpatrick and Sabrina Moss were among the crowd.
Hundreds of people took part in a peace march today against the number of youth killings in the city.
Family and friends of Brent murder victims Josh Hanson, Luke Fitzpatrick and Sabrina Moss were among the 700 people who came together in a united call for the violence to end.
The event was organised by Stop Our Kids Being Killed on Our Streets, a newly formed community-led group, and began with emotional speeches from relatives of young victims at Trafalgar Square.
Campaigners then march to Downing Street where a petition was handed in before continuing to Scotland Yard, the Met Police’s headquarters.
Many people wore t-shirts, carried placards and held banners bearing the photographs and details of young victims of knife and gun crime in London.
Others carried banners with poignant messages including one that said “Drop the knife thing about your life.”
From Scotland Yard the march returned to Trafalgar Square where the organisers spoke about their mission and thanked the crowd.
Delroy Elliot from Sudbury lost his 17-year-old son Anton Hyman in 2004.
He gave a speech before the march began.
He told the Times: “This march had the most men I have ever seen take part in an event like this. It was a real mixture of all cultures because people are saying enough is enough.”
Antonia Lee, a mother-of-four who grew up in Brent, said: “The reality is that much of the killing of our children takes place in inner cities, where the demographic is such that the resources and amenities necessary to facilitate a healthy environment for a child is usually null and void.
“Today’s march was a day to let the government and police see that we care about our children, in numbers.”
Karen Campbell-Wong, a mother-of-three from Kilburn, added: “We were marching behind pictures of dead children. It was very emotional.
“It has got to stop.”
Nicola Calica-Myall, one of the organisers of the march, told the Times she was overwhelmed by the turn out.
She said: “We celebrate the men who attended Sunday, encouraging them and more to become actively involved with SOKBKOOS.
“We are planning a range of service which will empower the community and will be coming to a neighbourhood near you.
“We’re not all about marching, one of our aims is to ensure that SOKBKOOS has a definite presence in the community becoming the voice of the people.”
For more information about Stop Our Kids Being Killed on Our Streets click here or call an automated line on 020 3556 3880. Please leave your name and contact details.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here