Hundreds of Kurdish activists and their supporters have protested in Paris to denounce violence by the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria and demand greater Western support against the militants.

Waving flags and chanting Kurdish songs, as many as 2000 demonstrators marched on Saturday to demand greater firepower from the West to help the outgunned Kurds stave off assaults by the Islamic State group that has seized vast parts of the two countries.

Kurdish groups in France have been leading such protests weekly since early August - and this time, some French supporters including the Communist Party took part.

Activists say time is of the essence as Islamic State group fighters press an offensive against Syrian Kurds in the town of Ayn Arab, also known as Kobani, on the Turkish border.

In London, dozens of Kurdish protesters stopped traffic on Oxford Street, the city's premier shopping district.

Akif Rizgar Wane, UK representative of the Kurdistan National Congress, said Kurdish fighters didn't need help from Western ground forces. 'Kurdish freedom fighters need weapons, they need humanitarian aid,' he said.

Sky News