The protesters, many of them high school students, claim that the youth leadership of this initiative is what will set it apart from previous attempts to enact stronger gun-control legislation.
The crowds gathered in Washington on Saturday for what is expected to be the biggest US gun control protest in a generation, with hundreds of thousands attending.In London, hundreds of people protested outside the US embassy.
The student-organized protest is to feature rallies from coast to coast, with the main event in Washington within sight of the US Capital whose lawmakers the protesters hope to influence.
At least eight rallies were planned in Canadian cities, from Victoria to St. John’s. By midday, about 200 people had gathered in downtown Toronto to show their support for the cause.
The half-million protesters squeezing into streets flanked by giant video screens proclaiming their slogan, “March for Our Lives.”
Students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida where 17 students and staff were shot dead on February 14 by a 19-year-old former classmate have been the driving force behind the march.
Organizers say more than 800 marches are being held across the country and around the world under the slogan #NeverAgain.
The satellite images show a massive turnout, despite the Mall being closed to protesters, which may have topped the 500,000 at last year’s women’s march, making it one of the largest protests in the city since the Vietnam era.
