TRAFFIC in central London came to a standstill on Wednesday night when a protest over the shooting of black US teen Michael Brown sparked a spontaneous march through the streets.

Hundreds of anti-racist activists attending the London to Ferguson solidarity vigil outside the US embassy swarmed between buses on cars on some of the city's busiest roads.

Demonstrators held placards reading: "Black lives matter" and "Who protects black people from the police?" as they weaved their way down Oxford Street and past Parliament before finishing at Scotland Yard.