HUNDREDS of protestors joined a peace march to campaign against the rise in knife crime following the deaths of several young victims.

Among the 700-strong crowds were family members and friends of Brent murder victim Josh Hanson, who was killed after being stabbed in the chest in an attack in the RE wine bar in Eastcote last month.

A memorial service for the 21-year-old road planner was held just two days before.

Protestors wearing t-shirts covered with his pictures of his face came together outside gathered outside Downing Street this weekend in a united call for the violence to end.

The event was organised by Stop Our Kids Being Killed on Our Streets, a new community-led group, and began with emotional speeches from relatives of young victims at Trafalgar Square.

Campaigners then marched to Downing Street where a petition was handed in before continuing onwards to Scotland Yard, the Met Police’s headquarters.

The petition, which was signed by more than 2,000 supporters, read: "Stop making cuts to youth services and policing, social services etc our kids are killing themselves with gang cultures, knife crime, gun crime, speeding cars, drug use...

"All these cuts are making it worse. Put our money into our kids! Kids who join gangs do so as they lack in guidance, lack of empowerment, lack of love.

“By the government making these cuts it’s telling us our kids are expendable."

Protesters chanted: "We are losing a generation", and "enough is enough".

The murder of 18-year-old Alfie Stone earlier this month was the 13th fatal stabbing of a teenager this year.

Elsewhere in Harrow, 17-year-old Che Labastide-Wellington was stabbed in the heart after attending a friend’s 16th birthday in Kenton in the early hours of November 8.

So far 12 people have been arrested in connection with his murder.

The Metropolitan Police Service has pledged its officers will do all they can in a bid to reduce knife crime.

In a statement last month, the Met said: "There has been a disturbing increase in the number of murders and stabbings, often with young black men the victims."

It continued: "We will do all we can to reduce knife crime, to tackle London's gangs and take more knives and weapons off our streets."