MORE than 600 people joined a four-hour silent peace procession through London’s Whitehall on Saturday.

The Quaker-led Silent Walking Vigil for Peace began with a meeting for worship in Victoria Embankment Gardens before participants walked quietly through Whitehall, ending with a further meeting for worship at St Martin-in-the-Fields on Trafalgar Square.

Taking place on the weekend of the United Nations’ International Day of Peace, the gathering expressed solidarity with all those affected by violence, conflict and war while affirming a vision of peace for individuals, communities, the world and the planet.

Churches Together in England general secretary Mike Royal was among those walking, joined by representatives from religious communities across Britain, including Buddhists, Mennonites and Lutherans.

One of its organisers, Steve Day, said: “Today Friends travelled from Quaker meetings across Britain to walk together through central London.

“We are the living, breathing silence of our Quaker way, and that silence became a peaceful thunder.

“This vision for a massive loud silence for peace came from everyday Quakers who believed they had to make this small-steps journey.

“None of us, nor peace itself, can wait.”