Tens of thousands join #Refugees Welcome Here marches

Marchers from Finchley, Manor House & Kentish Town

Tens of thousands of people poured out onto the streets of London, Belfast, Bristol, Glasgow, York, Brighton, Newcastle, Edinburgh, Cardiff, Manchester and other cities, on Saturday, calling for the government to do more to help refugees. In London, families with children, student groups, and older people walked for more than two hours from Hyde Park to Westminster where a rally was held in Parliament Square. Newly-elected Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn told the crowd he was "shocked beyond appalled" over some media coverage of the refugee crisis.

In words addressed to the government, he said "Recognise your obligations in law, that would be good. Recognise your obligations to help people which you're required to do by law, that would be good.

"But above all, open your hearts and open your minds and open your attitude towards supporting people who are desperate, who need somewhere safe to live, want to contribute to our society, and are human beings just like all of us."

Musician Billy Bragg, civil liberties campaigners Shami Chakrabarti and Bianca Jagger, Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron and Green Party leader Natalie Bennett were among those who addressed protesters.

Participants in the march included the Jesuit Refugee Service, Jubilee Campaign, Pax Christi, CAFOD, Christian Aid, Tearfund, the Salvation Army, many youth and parish justice and peace groups.

Fr Peter Hughes came with a group from the Columban Missionaries. He said afterwards that: "this is a serious and urgent crisis that will not go away until world leaders and indeed all of us work out a just and Christian solution to the problem".

Protesting on Saturday at the DSEi Arms Fair at ExCel in London's Docklands, members of the London Catholic Worker carried banners reading: 'Refugees welcome, not arms dealers' and ' Today arms deals; Tomorrow refugees'.

Sister Katrina Alton, CSJP, was among those who blockaded the ExCel centre for nearly five hours to stop military equipment entering the arms fair.

St Mary's Cathedral in Glasgow also hosted a musical event: 'Glasgow Hears Syria'.