News - 1,500 people gathered at St George's Plateau to protest against homophobia in Liverpool yesterday, despite the bad weather conditions. The protest was organised after numerous attacks on gays, including the murder of gay teenager Michael Causer and the assault on Merseyside Police constable James Parkes, aged 22, who was left fighting for his life after an attack last month.

Michael Causer's killer was sentenced on the basis that his attack was not a hate crime, however his family have always believed that he died because of his sexuality. His mother Marie attended the protest. "It's been a fantastic turn-out. This is what we need," she told the Liverpool Daily Post. "We're here to get the message across that enough is enough and that homophobia isn't acceptable, not here, not anywhere."

Marie added: "It's to unite everyone and show that we're all equal, nobody's any different. People can be what they want to be and wear what they want to wear. My son was murdered for being what he was and for living the life he wanted to live."

The march went through the city centre to the New Picket, off Jamaica Street. Here, speeches were given including one from gay Liverpool councillor Steve Radford, who said: "It was great to walk through the main shopping area of the city and show that gays and lesbians will not be treated as second-class citizens in our city, and that an injury on one is an injury on all of us. It was important we made a public statement in a dignified way."

Councillor Radford also read out a message of support for the march from the Bishop of Liverpool, the Reverent Rev James Jones, on behalf of all the denominations in the city. Among the hundreds attending the march was Alan Pope, 49, and wife Marie, from Huyton. He said: "I don't go on many marches, but this was important for both of us. I live on the same estate that Anthony Walker lived on and we wanted to register our support for the twin aims of fighting homophobia and racism. We need to come together as a community and show this type of behaviour is unacceptable."

The demonstration was organised after 24 year-old student Emma Stewart set up a Facebook page 'Liverpool March Against Homophobia', which gained over 1,000 members in just 24 hours, eventually gaining more than 6,500 members. The page is now a forum where people can speak out against homophobia. Just last week, there was an attack in the city centre on a 19 year-old student, who was beaten by an eight-strong gang hurling homophobic abuse. Emma Stewart said: "These attacks should not be tolerated, and this march is a good way of showing the community and Liverpool at large that they won't be from now on."