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Thousands protest at US embassy in London over Ferguson decision

Thousands including black families whose members had been killed by UK police have protested outside the US embassy in London over the Ferguson case.

Flares lit up London streets outside the US embassy in solidarity with Ferguson
Flares lit up London streets outside the US embassy in solidarity with Ferguson. (AAP)

Thousands have protested in London in sympathy with demonstrations across the US over the killing of a black teenager by a white police officer.

The decision not to prosecute the officer for shooting dead unarmed 18-year-old Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, has sparked anger and racially-charged unrest in cities across the US this week.

The roughly 5000 London protesters on Wednesday held signs reading "Black lives matter" and chanted "Hands up, don't shoot", the slogan adopted by protesters in the US.

At a rally outside the US embassy, relatives of black men killed by police in Britain addressed the crowd.

"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.

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"We feel the pain, we know the pain, of losing somebody at the hands of the police.

"That is why we stand in solidarity with the community of Ferguson. I feel they are very strong and brave people."

Some protesters carried candles, and a moment of silence was held in honour of those killed by police around the world.

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.

"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.

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".


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