THE Mayor of London is calling for a national memorial day in remembrance of the horrors of the transatlantic slave trade.

On Thursday, August 23, Ken Livingstone set in motion the first London memorial day, remembering the millions who were abducted by slave traders.

At a City Hall event held in Queens Walk, London, Mr Livingstone said: "It gives me great pride to inaugurate this city's first annual memorial day in remembrance of the transatlantic slave trade and its abolition.

"A memorial day will ensure we never forget one of the most horrific episodes in human history, which also constructed an edifice of racist ideas towards black people that still have to be confronted.

"Not only was the trade a crime against humanity, but the lives of hundreds of millions of people remain affected by the legacy of that crime to this day."

Ms Dynamite, Londoner and rap artist, said: "The period in history during which Africans were kidnapped, forcibly enslaved and transported to be sold as produce was not a trade, it was genocide.

"The average life of a working slave was just three years, so they were quite literally worked to death.

"Until reality is fully and honestly addressed, we will always be a society with racial tension and racist undercurrents.

"Having a memorial for the many millions that died is a great start."

This year is the 200th anniversary of the abolition of the slave trade in Britain.