Thousands of demonstrators from across America converged on Thursday on the Louisiana town of Jena in what African-American activists have said could mark the start of the 21st century’s civil rights movement, challenging unfairness in the US judicial system.

The protesters were there to show support for six African-American students who had originally been charged with attempted murder in the beating of a white classmate who, although knocked unconscious, was released from hospital within a few hours.