Demonstrators have gathered outside the Chinese embassy in London to support pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong.

Organisers of the London protest said 3,000 people had gathered to show people in Hong Kong "they are not alone”.

Student demonstrators in Hong Kong have vowed to step up their mass pro-democracy protests if Chief Executive CY Leung does not resign by Thursday. Protests continued on the streets on Wednesday - China's national day - with thousands remaining camped out at the main protest sites as evening fell.

Meanwhile, in London, organisers said the turnout had "exceeded expectations". Portland Place has been partly closed by the protest.

They may have been 6,000 miles apart, but Wednesday's protest in London shared many of the characteristics of the movement in Hong Kong.

Bill Hung, 30, is also from the former colony. He said his brother had been involved in the protests in Hong Kong.

"The world is watching. The UK is behind Hong Kong, universal suffrage and real democracy," he added.

All spoke passionately about the prospects for democracy in the former British colony and their hopes for the future. And they were clear in their intention - to show people in Hong Kong that they had international support.