Thousands of Shia Muslims raised qurans in the air during in the annual Ashura procession through Central London, commemorating the martyrdom of Imam Hussain (July 29).

Earlier this week, 20,000 quran covers arrived at Heathrow Airport from the Middle East, in response to multiple burnings of the holy book in Sweden and Denmark, causing outrage in Muslim-majority countries worldwide.

They were distributed amongst the mourners who wore them around their necks or held them in the air, along with their own copies to denounce the burnings and to ask for legal protections of religious texts.

Marchers conducted prayers in Marble Arch before proceeding to Oxford Street and through the West End, raising a giant 120-metre-long Imam Hussain banner, with others chanting, chest-beating and drumming along the route.