Demonstrators March On London To Protest Libya's Slave Trade

Demonstrators gathered in London today to show their opposition to the modern-day slave trade in Libya.

The march was organised after an excellent CNN investigation, which included distressing footage of men being sold at auction, brought the country's human trafficking industry to wider global attention.

More than 260,000 people have since signed a petition urging the UK government to put pressure on the Libyan government to clamp down on modern-day slavery.

Ahead of today's march, prominent figures including Naomi Campbell, Skepta, and Cara Delevingne used their social channels to encourage people to attend.

The march began at 12pm in central London's Belgrave Square and took protesters to the nearby Libyan Embassy. Many who marched shared pictures and video footage of the march on social media. Buzzfeed reporter Ikran Dahir tweeted pictures of some of the signs held up by protesters.

Meanwhile, TV and radio presenter Clara Amfo shared footage of protesters holding placards outside the Libyan Embassy.

Amfo told Refinery29 that the march attracted a strong youth presence, saying: "Young people can often get a bad rep for being unbothered about anything besides their phones. It was really positive and encouraging to see just how many teens were out there using their voices."

Activist Munroe Bergdorf also joined the march and shared pictures on her social channels.

Ahead of today's march, organisers spread the word on a dedicated Facebook page explaining its objectives.

"Whether you know it or don’t, this crime against African humanity dehumanizes all of us," organisers wrote. "Because humanity is one and it’s up to us to take action to bring an end to this 21st century slave trade in Libya and all around the world by letting the Libyan authorities and the British government know how we feel about this issue."

They added: "Protests definitely work, it gets the word out and sends a strong warning to the criminals."