Hundreds of protesters caused chaos for Christmas shoppers at a London shopping centre last night with a mass demonstration over the death of American man Eric Garner, who died while being arrested in New York.

Up to 600 protesters gathered in the 1,883,700 sq ft mall in Shepherd’s Bush, west London, before lying down on the floor as part of the ‘die-in’ demonstration and chanting: ‘I can’t breathe’.

Police arrested 76 people at the protest, which was over the death of Mr Garner – a 43-year-old black man who choked to death in New York City in July as he was arrested for selling loose, untaxed cigarettes.

Several shoppers said shops were forced to put their shutters down amid fears of damage by the protesters, while others claimed to be heldoutside of the mall by police who desperately tried to get the demonstration under control.

Others expressed concerns about the 'intimidating' behaviour of some of the demonstrators, as well as the timing of the mass protest at the packed mall, which came just over three weeks before Christmas.

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Anger: Protesters held a mass 'die-in' at the Westfield shopping centre in Shepherd's Bush, London. They aimed to raise awareness of the death of Eric Garner, a black man who died as he was arrested in New York

The participants chanted: 'I can't breathe' - Eric Garner's final words - in solidarity with U.S. protesters

London protest organisers wrote on Facebook that the event was being held to denounce 'the lack of consequences for Eric Garner's murderer, as well as against