
20,000 people have turned out in Belfast city centre to call for the legalisation of same-sex marriage in Northern Ireland, according to Amnesty International.
The march, organised by Amnesty, the Irish Congress of Trade Unions and the Rainbow Project, began at the Ulster University at York Street at 2.30pm and ended with speeches outside City Hall.
The Northern Ireland campaign for the introduction of same-sex marriage has been buoyed by the success of the recent referendum in the Republic - and by a wave of celebrity endorsements from the world of sport, music and theatre.
The province is now set to be the only part of the UK or Ireland where civil marriage is denied to gay couples.
Unionists have rejected four Sinn Fein motions calling on the Executive to legislate for marriage equality.
Celebrity supporters of the campaign include Olympic boxer Paddy Barnes, singers Brian Kennedy, Gary Lightbody and Bronagh Gallagher and actress Nuala McKeever.
#MarchForEquality
“@PaperjamPoetry: @brianjohnspencr pic.twitter.com/QawFp2iVMT”
— The Live Drawer (@Live_Drawing) June 13, 2015
Correction. Twenty thousand March for #MarriageEquality in Belfast! And still they come... pic.twitter.com/D7Ljl3gjGn
— Amnesty Int'l NI (@AmnestyNI) June 13, 2015
Even @garysnowpatrol supports #EqualMarriage :) pic.twitter.com/TfuL5odfFD
— Johnny McCarthy (@paralisamour) June 13, 2015
Brilliant poster from Unison pic.twitter.com/AQw9bm684t
— Lyra McKee (@LyraMcKee) June 13, 2015
When #MarriageEquality comes to NI - we can say proudly that we were here. Thousands of us. Demanding LGBT rights. pic.twitter.com/D49e2aN8te
— Emmet McDonoughBrown (@EmmetMcDB) June 13, 2015
We're not Orange OR Green. We're orange AND green. And red, yellow, blue and purple. #MarchForEquality pic.twitter.com/AK1iyGxBAY
— Martin McAuley (@MartinMcAuley) June 13, 2015
Huge Sinn Féin turnout at the #MarriageEquality rally in Belfast. pic.twitter.com/K7Mk6vfck9
— Sinn Féin LGBT (@sinnfeinlgbt) June 13, 2015