THOUSANDS JOIN 'MARCH FOR OUR LIVES'

Hundreds of thousands of students joined the progun control March for Our Lives rallies across the US in one of the largest expressions of popular opposition in the modern era.

Events have been taking place at more than 800 locations around the world – including London, Sydney, Tokyo, Mumbai, plus hundreds of places in the US. In Washington, as the number of young, diverse and impassioned protesters swelled along Pennsylvania Avenue, many carried signs reading “We are the change”, “No more silence” and “Keep NRA money out of politics”. Organisers said they hoped their protest would be one of the biggest in the capital since the Vietnam era, and it was clear they had been careful to create a diverse, inclusive group of speakers. Along with survivors from the attack in Parkland, Florida, who have galvanised the new push for gun reform, speakers included young victims of gun violence from around America. They sang, they chanted, and they challenged their parents generation to be effective in eliminating gun violence from society.

Edna Chavez, 17, from Manual Arts High School in Los Angeles, took the stage with a raised fist and spoke powerfully about her brother, who was killed by gun violence.

“I have learned to duck from bullets before I learned to read.” She led the crowd to chant his name, “Ricardo! Ricardo!”

Photo: AFP Rally goers demonstrate on Pennsylvania Avenue during the March for Our Lives Rally in Washington, DC.

Photo: AFP During a march in New York City, people display portraits of children who were killed in the 2012 school shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School.