Thousands of British Muslims protest against Charlie Hebdo Mohammed cartoons

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Thousands of British Muslims protest against Charlie Hebdo Mohammed cartoons

PUBLISHED : Monday, 09 February, 2015, 10:42pm
UPDATED : Monday, 09 February, 2015, 10:42pm

Agence France-Presse in London

A petition signed by 100,000 is delivered.Photo: AFP

Thousands of British Muslims protested against cartoons of the prophet Mohammed in the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, at a demonstration near Prime Minister David Cameron's London offices.

The crowd marched to Downing Street holding signs reading "We love Prophet Muhammad more than our lives" and "To insult is not freedom" on Sunday.

Speakers addressed the protest before a petition signed by over 100,000 British Muslims, describing the cartoons as "an affront to the norms of civilised society" was delivered.

After a deadly jihadist attack on the magazine's Paris offices in January, Londoners queued to buy the following memorial issue, which featured a cartoon of the prophet on its cover.

However, most British media did not republish the cartoons, considered offensive by some.

"The peace-loving majority of people must become vociferous in promoting global civility and responsible debate," said Shaykh Tauqir Ishaq, a spokesman for the Muslim Action Forum, which organised the protest.

AFP