Hundreds of thousands of people have marched in cities in America and around the world to call for stricter gun control laws in the US.

The March For Our Lives rallies were organised by students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida, after a gunman entered their campus on 14 February and killed 17 people.

Emma Gonzalez, the movement's leader, listed each of the 17 victims of the shooting, before pausing to ensure her speech was six minutes and 20 seconds long, the length of time it took for Nikolas Cruz to commit the crime before he walked out of the school with other fleeing students.

Image: Emma Gonzalez speaks during the March for Our Lives Rally in Washington, DC

She said: "Six minutes and 20 seconds with an AR-15 and my friend Carmen (Schentrup) would never complain to me about piano practice.

"Aaron Feis would never call Kyra 'Miss Sunshine.' Alex Schachter would never walk into school with his brother Ryan."


On Tuesday, just days before the planned marches, another gunman opened fire in Great Mills High School in Maryland, killing one girl. He died at the scene.

'Everyone was forever altered'

David Hogg, a survivor of the Florida school shooting, said: "If you listen real close, you can hear the people in power shaking.

"We will get rid of these public servants who only care about the gun lobby."

Posters on the march read "never again" and "not one more" as well as demanding an end to National Rifle Association (NRA) influence on the country's government.

Image: The crowd as seen from the roof of the Newseum in Washington, DC

Students held tags with $1.05 written on it, symbolising the equivalent per student Florida senator Marco Rubio has received as funding from the NRA.

Around 500,000 people were expected at the rally in Washington DC, joined by celebrities including Jennifer Hudson, Miley Cyrus and Ariana Grande, who performed on the event's stage.

Making a surprise appearance was Yolanda King, the granddaughter of Rev Martin Luther King Jr.

'I survived Florida school shooting'

"I have a dream that enough is enough," she said. "That this should be a gun-free world. Period."

In New York City, tens of thousands marched, including Sir Paul McCartney.

Image: Yolanda King addresses the March for Our Lives rally in Washington, DC

Marches also took place in Paris, Berlin and London.

Caitlin Waters, co-organiser of the Paris march, said: "It's important for Americans, even overseas, to make sure that Washington knows that we're not pleased with the gun control reform and we want more."

Image: Hundreds of thousands marched on Washington, DC

In Edinburgh, Jack and Ellie Crozier, whose sister was killed in the Dunblane shooting, read a letter: "Wherever you march, whenever you protest, however you campaign for a more sensible approach to gun ownership, we will be there with you in spirit."

Image: Miley Cyrus sings during the March for Our Lives Rally in Washington, DC

Catherine Wilson, who lost her sister Mhairi in Dunblane, also took part in the event, reading her poem For Parkland/The Public I.

Image: March For Our Lives in Berlin

She said: "I am so overwhelmed and incredibly impressed by the teenagers in America who are walking out of schools and who are demonstrating today.

"Today is a really important mix of both showing that anger and fighting against something that is incorrect, but also offering that support and that love really, to the students in America."

Image: The march outside the US Embassy in south London

Pro-gun groups held counter protests in some parts of the country, but were vastly outnumbered.

Around 500 people marched in Salt Lake City, Utah, calling for more teachers to be armed, but the same route was overtaken by 6,000 counter protesters shortly afterwards.

Pictures from Washington DC show a handful of pro-Trump marchers and some calling for America to stay armed.

Image: Paul McCartney joined the march in New York City

Delta airlines took three flights of Florida students to the Washington DC march, while New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft allowed families of the victims to use the team plane to get to the capital.

The White House issued a statement on the marches which said: "We applaud the many courageous young Americans exercising their First Amendment rights today.

Image: The marchers faced opposition in lots of cities

"Keeping our children safe is a top priority of the President's, which is why he urged Congress to pass the Fix NICS and STOP School Violence Acts, and signed them into law.

"Additionally, on Friday, the Department of Justice issued the rule to ban bump stocks following through on the President's commitment to ban devices that turn legal weapons into illegal machine guns."

President Donald Trump was not in the White House during the march, but had flown to Mar-a-Lago, his golf resort in Florida.