Teenagers march in London over latest teenage murder

Police stopped the traffic as Ben’s friends and family, including his sister, the former EastEnders actress Brooke Kinsella, led about 400 protesters in a march to where Ben was stabbed numerous times on Sunday morning.

Along the way, the procession — which stretched back several hundred yards — stopped outside the home of Boris Johnson, the Mayor of London, who has promised to crack down on knife crime.

The grim-faced teenagers, many wearing T-shirts with Ben’s picture, consoled each other as they walked along. The march had started at the steps of Islington Town Hall where people turned up with banners and T-shirts bearing slogans such as “RIP Ben. ”You’re an Angel” and “Stop Knife Violence”.

Brooke Dunford, 16, who organised the demonstration, had printed leaflets, sent e-mails and texts and used Facebook, the networking website, to ensure so many people turned up. A close friend of Ben since she was 12, she said: “I just couldn’t sit around and grieve when this might happen to other people.”

Brooke was wearing a T-shirt bearing the slogan "18?". It was a reference to whether she could be the 18th young person killed in London this year.

She said: “It’s ridiculous. When is it going to stop? If by doing this today I have made one person rethink taking out a knife then I have done my bit. That would be one more person going back home to his mum.”

Brooke said she had called the event “Life For Life” because she believed a life sentence should be mandatory for anyone found guilty of killing a person.

The large group, with a police escort, walked for more than 45 minutes to get to where Ben was killed in the early hours of Sunday morning. As they passed, onlookers came out of shops and homes to pay their respects.

(1) 1 January: Henry Bolombi, 17, stabbed, Edmonton
(2) 5 January: Faridon Alizada, 18, stabbed, Erith
(3) 21 January: Boduka Mudianga, 18, stabbed, Edmonton
(4) 26 January: Fuad Buraleh, 19, beaten, West Ealing
(5) 15 February: Ofiyke Nmezu, 16, beaten, Enfield
(6) 19 February: Sunday Essiet, 15, stabbed, Woolwich
(7) 23 February: Tung Le, 17, stabbed, Westminster
(8) 13 March: Michael Alexander Jones, 18, stabbed, Edmonton
(9) 14 March: Nicholas Clarke, 19, shot, Brixton
(10) 27 March: Devoe Roach, 17, stabbed, Stoke Newington
(11) 27 March: Amro Elbadawi, 14, stabbed, Queen's Park
(12) 3 May: Lyle Tulloch, 15, stabbed, Borough
(13) 10 May: Jimmy Mizen, 16, Lee
(14) 24 May: Rob Knox, 18, stabbed, Sidcup
(15) 24 May: Sharmaake Hassan, 17, shot, Camden
(16) 2 June: Arsema Dawit, 15, stabbed, Waterloo
(17) 29 June: Ben Kinsella, 16, stabbed, King's Cross

Thousands of young people are marching in protest against knife and gun crime in the UK.

The demo in central London follows a series of high-profile teen murders.

Several relatives of victims are taking part.

Anti-gun campaigner Pat Regan, who was stabbed to death on Sunday, had been due to address the event.