Hundreds of pro-Palestine protesters brought traffic to a standstill along Oxford Street on one of the busiest shopping days of Christmas.

The marchers walked slowly along the most famous shopping street in the country in a bid to cause disruption.

Holding placards declaring “no shopping while bombs are dropping” and “ceasefire now”, the protest made its way from Soho Square towards Oxford Circus, holding up dozens of buses and taxis.

There were chants of “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” – interpreted by some as a call for the destruction of the state of Israel – and “stop bombing children” as the crowd of around 500 made its way past bemused shoppers busy finding the last of their Christmas gifts.

Police maintained a low-key presence, with only a handful of officers visible as the march repeatedly came to a halt, before resuming its slow progress past Oxford Street’s busy shops.

Organisers of the march, called by the feminist group Sisters Uncut, kept one lane of the street open, but the weight of numbers meant traffic had to be diverted.