Protesters are staging a demonstration for Trayvon Martin outside the US embassy in London, following the shooting of the unarmed 17-year-old student by a member of his neighbour watch team, George Zimmerman.
Zimmerman had told police that Martin jumped him from behind, punched him in the nose and pounded his head into the pavement. He claims he shot the teen in self defence. However a new video, obtained by ABC News, appears inconsistent with Zimmerman’s leaked statement to police.
While Zimmerman is yet to be charged, a petition calling for Zimmerman to be prosecuted for racially motivated murder has now got more than two million signatures.
The protest, organised by Campaign 4 Justice, Tottenham Defence Campaign, comedienne Ava Vidal, and supported by Defend the Right to Protest, comes alongside similar demonstrations held in Manchester, UK and in towns across around America.
Demonstrators were asked to wear hoodies and bring a packet of skittles, which is what Trayvon Martin was wearing and carrying in his pocket when he was shot.
As protesters held up banners saying "We are all Trayvon Martin", Ava Vidal read out a message from Doreen Lawrence, the mother of teenager Stephen Lawrence, who was murdered in a racist attack in London in .
Messages of support from George Galloway MP and Diane Abbott MP were also read out. Both Galloway and Abbott apologised for not being at the rally but stressed their full support for the campaign. Their words were greeted with loud applause.
"Trayvon was an un-armed teenager who got gunned down in cold blood" wrote Abbott.
"His case speaks to the demonisation of young black men here and in North America. Trayvon should never be forgotten."
Similarly Galloway, who has recently been celebrating a by-election victory in Bradford wrote:
"What has brought you together in this international demand for justice for Trayvon Martin and his family is chilling in its simplicity. Black men, particularly young black men, are being killed, murdered, and no one is being held to account."