Hundreds of campaigners “died” yesterday evening in solidarity with an African-American man killed by the police.

Supporters of the US-launched #ICantBreathe campaign staged a flash demonstration at Westfield shopping centre in Shepherd’s Bush, west London.

Organised by London Black Revs, the die-in was intended to raise awareness of the death of Eric Garner, who was suffocated to death by a New York police officer in what appeared to be an illegal chokehold.

A spokesman for the group said: “We must begin to raise the political reasons as to why this occurs and where racism comes from and its use by the government and racists within society.

“Black communities across the world, particularly in the US and Britain, face the same problems.”