Ferguson riots: The most powerful images to emerge from protests over Michael Brown killing

Whole swathes of Ferguson, Missouri have gone up in flames as rioters and police officers engage in violent clashes.

They are the most vociferous of the protests taking place across the US against a grand jury decision not to indict the killer of black teenager Michael Brown.

Prosecutor Bob McCulloch issued a statement saying police officer Darren Wilson had been found to have acted within the law and in keeping with his training.

But demonstrators have said Brown was unarmed and had his hands up - and that the shooting and last night's decision come as the latest examples of racial inequality in the city.

Questions have been raised as to why officials waited until 8pm, when night had fallen, for the verdict on Wilson's fate to be announced.

And coming one month before Christmas and in the week of Thanksgiving, the riots are playing out before a backdrop geared towards celebrations and togetherness.

The outpouring of anger has resulted in some extraordinary images.

One of the most powerful was the following, showing armed police formed up in a line across the street under a banner wishing people a happy holiday:

In this image, a demonstrator steps on a graffiti-sprayed American flag during a protest in Oakland, California following the grand jury decision in Ferguson:

Here, NBC News captures what many are calling a 'Tiananmen Square moment' for Ferguson, with a lone man apparently standing up to a row of police vehicles:

A protester stands with his hands on his head as a cloud of tear gas approaches:

The Independent's Tim Walker captured this image from the ground as a man stands in front of a burning AutoZone branch in Ferguson:

Protesters stage a peaceful demonstration in front of the White House in Washington as Barack Obama issues a call for calm within:

A woman gets water poured on her face after police pepper-sprayed demonstrators attempting to stop traffic on Interstate 5 in Seattle:

For latest coverage of the ongoing protests, click here.