Thousands march in London to show support for refugees
Thousands of people have attended a march in London today to urge the government to allow more migrants into the country.
The march – "Refugees Welcome" – was joined by groups such as Amnesty International, Medecins Sans Frontieres, Save the Children and Oxfam.
Together, we can #savechildrefugees.
Such an incredible turnout in London today to make #refugeeswelcome! pic.twitter.com/VgMtmsIq7D— Save the Children UK (@savechildrenuk) September 17, 2016
Protesters marched with banners reading "No to Islamophobia. No to war", "No one is illegal" and "Stop the drowning".
The show of support for refugees comes before a UN summit in New York on Monday, hosted by US President Barack Obama. Prime Minister Theresa May will be attending to discuss the international community's response to the migrant crisis in Europe and around the world.
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The march culminated in a rally in Parliament Square, with speeches from religious leaders, actors and activists.
#RefugeesWelcome pic.twitter.com/mLK6oIOjyW
— H (@_Tokyo101) September 17, 2016
Actress Vanessa Redgrave took to the stage and said:
"Citizens in this country, of whatever background, all want to obey the law.
"There are human rights laws. The present government and previous governments, both Labour, Coalition and Conservative, have been breaking international human rights law.
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"We must hold them to account."
Refugees Welcome held a similar rally at the same time last year that the organisation says was attended by 100,000 people. After the rally, the government agreed to resettle 20,000 Syrian refugees.