Hundreds attend city peace vigil

Organisers of the peace vigil in Manchester handed out leaflets

Hundreds of people gathered in the centre of Manchester on Sunday afternoon to express their horror at the London suicide bombings.

Organisers of the peace vigil handed out leaflets with the slogan: "United in condemnation, united in grief."

Khalid Anis, the event organiser, said the event, held at the Peace Gardens near the town hall, had been planned by Muslim communities in the North West.

He said the campaign had the support of all faith communities.

Mr Anis added: "About 300 people attended and it was all very positive.

"Every sector of Britain was there - people of all faiths and some of no faith.

'Stand together'

"But this is just the first step and hopefully it will gather momentum to show that all communities can work and stand together for the common good of making Britain a strong place."

Among those attending were Tony Lloyd, Labour MP for Manchester Central, and the Lord Mayor of Manchester, Councillor Mohammed Afzal Khan.

On Thursday, communities across the North West took part in peace vigils in memory of those killed in the bomb attacks in London.

Muslim leaders from Birkenhead, where a mosque was targeted by arsonists last weekend, joined an event in Liverpool.

In Manchester, hundreds of people observed a two-minute silence to show solidarity with London, while people in Blackpool gathered at the town hall steps to join in the tribute.