Updated | Thousands ‘march for Europe’ in anti-Brexit protest

Over 40,000 people have taken to the streets of London in a pro-EU demonstration.

Demonstrators for the ‘March for Europe’ event, organised in the wake of the UK’s decision to leave the European Union, met at Park Lane at 11am before walking to Parliament Square.

Protestors chanted “EU, we love you”, waved EU flags and held aloft placards with slogans such as “Hope not hate”, “Breverse” and “Parliament use your sovereignty to save the UK from this crisis”.

The event was organised by comedian and satirist Mark Thomas to address his “anger, frustration and need to do something”.

“We would accept the result of the referendum if it was fought on a level playing field. But it was full of misinformation and people need to do something with their frustration,” he said.

Another of the event organisers Keiran MacDermott said protestors hoped to stop the government from triggering Article 50, which would begin the two-year formal process of the UK’s withdrawal from the EU.

At the end of the two-mile route, protestors gathered outside Parliament to listen to speakers including Labour MP for Tottenham David Lammy, leftwing activist Owen Jones, and musician Bob Geldof.

Geldof urged Remain campaigners to take to the streets, speak to their neighbours and work to stop the UK’s exit from the EU.

“We need to individually organise ourselves. Organise those around us and do everything possible within our individual power to stop this country from being totally destroyed,” he said.

Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron, who has pledged to fight to remain in the EU, attended the protest.

“It’s OUR future. We want to stay together in Europe!” he tweeted.

It's OUR future. We want to stay together in Europe! At the March for Britain in Europe! https://t.co/8AIjv2sz6V pic.twitter.com/Wzz6qkGikK

— Tim Farron (@timfarron) July 2, 2016

Farron has said that people are joining his party at a rate of one a minute following his EU pledge, including people who voted Leave but were appalled “by the economic and political chaos that has followed, as well as the broken promises of Boris Johnson, Michael Gove, and Nigel Farage”

Among the crowd was Tom North, from Norfolk, who was marching with his family.

“I’m here because I feel the country has been conned into voting for something that will turn out a disaster. I’m particularly concerned about the effect it will have on scientific research,” he told the press.

His son Ace North, from Oxford, said: “I was able to do my PhD in an EU country, thanks to being in the EU, so I feel quite passionate about it”.

Laura Honickberg, 33, from London, said she was concerned that the vote would lead to a rise in hate crime.

“I’m Jewish and I find the rise of nationalism and hate crime in Europe deeply concerning,” she told the BBC. “The Leave campaign was based on lies, about money that was going to the NHS and now isn’t, about what’s going to happen to the economy. These are things that are going to directly impact me.”