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BLM supporter speaks out after carrying counter-demonstrator to safety

4 min read

Good Stuff
Source: BBC

A viral photo of Patrick Hutchinson coming to an injured man’s aid during Saturday’s violent protests has drawn widespread praise, but the hero says his real focus was on avoiding a catastrophe.

Image of Patrick Hutchinson coming to the man’s aid went viral after Saturday’s protests

The Black Lives Matter demonstrator who carried a counter-protester to safety during Saturday’s protests in London has spoken out about the moment he decided to intervene to help the injured man. A photo of Patrick Hutchinson carrying the injured man went viral on Sunday, with people describing the BLM protester as a hero.

Hutchinson told CNN Sunday that it was the first Black Lives Matter protest he attended, and he helped the white man because he did not want the main reason for the protests to be lost in a moment of violence.
The image of Patrick Hutchinson’s selfless act has spread across the globe. Hutchinson told CNN Sunday that it was the first Black Lives Matter protest he attended, and he helped the white man because he did not want the main reason for the protests to be lost in a moment of violence. “My real focus was to avoid a catastrophe, suddenly the narration changes to ‘Black Lives Matters, Youngsters Kill Protesters’. That was the message we were trying to avoid,” said Hutchinson. Source: BBC

Hutchinson contrasts intervention with lack of action taken by the Minneapolis police officers

The Black Lives Matter demonstrator who carried an injured counter-protester to safety during Saturday’s protests in London has spoken out about the moment he decided to intervene to help the man, according to The Guardian.

Describing his decision to step in, Patrick Hutchinson said: “His life was under threat, so I just went under, scooped him up, put him on my shoulders and started marching towards the police with him.”

The personal trainer and grandfather told: Channel 4 News: “You don’t think about it [being scary] at the time, you just do what you’ve got to do.”

Hutchinson contrasted the intervention with the lack of action taken by the Minneapolis police officers who were involved in George Floyd’s death. “If the other three police officers that were standing around when George Floyd was murdered had thought about intervening, and stopping their colleague from doing what he was doing, like we did, George Floyd would be alive today.

“I just want equality, equality for all of us. At the moment, the scales are unfairly balanced and I just want things to be fair for my children and my grandchildren.”

Source: The Guardian

When Hutchinson saw the man, he said he and his friends formed a cordon around him and Hutchinson scooped him up to take him directly to the police. While they were marching, the man could still feel people trying to hit him, Hutchinson said.
Hutchinson initially saw the man lying on some stairs in the fetal position surrounded by protesters. When Hutchinson saw the man, he said he and his friends formed a cordon around him and Hutchinson scooped him up to take him directly to the police. While they were marching, the man could still feel people trying to hit him, Hutchinson said. Source: NewsDio.com

Hutchinson said the man he helped had been caught alone and left by his friends

Hutchinson and his friends, who are security professionals and martial arts practitioners, attended an anti-racist protest on Saturday to “try and keep the peace”. When far-right groups began to clash with black protesters, Hutchinson said the man he helped had been caught alone and left by his friends.

Pierre Noah, a businessman and friend of Hutchinson’s, told the Guardian: “It would have turned out really bad because someone’s life would have been taken and you know what would have happened. Straight away – black boys have killed somebody, and they’ve killed a white man – it’s just going to be worse. So we had to go out there. I couldn’t sleep.”

Describing his motivation to help the protester, Jamaine Facey, a personal trainer, said: “I’m not protecting him, I’m protecting our kids. I was protecting their future, because I know the judge would not have saw what happened before. I was protecting their future.”

Chris Otokito, a businessman, described the group’s effort to de-escalate the situation to the Guardian. “We were there to serve a purpose. We saw it escalating, we tried to get around the guy to try and stop it from happening. Patrick came in and assessed the situation straight away, picked him up and just tried to do what we could to get him back to a safer place.”

Source: TheGuardian

Everyone versus Racists

On Patrick Hutchinson’s Instagram, he posted:

"It’s not black v white it everyone v the racists! We had each other’s back and protected those who needed us"

A group of men including Patrick Hutchinson (carrying the man) help an injured man away after he was allegedly attacked by some of the crowd of protesters on the Southbank near Waterloo station on June 13, 2020 in London, United Kingdom.
Carried to safety amid blows and missiles: A group of men including Patrick Hutchinson (carrying the man) help an injured man away after he was allegedly attacked by some of the crowd of protesters on the Southbank near Waterloo station on June 13, 2020 in London, United Kingdom. Source: LukeDray/Getty/CNN

The photo went viral with people describing Hutchinson as a hero

The photo of Hutchinson carrying the injured man went viral on Sunday, with people describing the BLM protester as a hero.

Claudia Webbe, the Labour MP for Leicester East, tweeted: “A national hero – this is what humanity looks like.”

David Lammy, the Labour MP for Tottenham, shared the photo on Twitter, writing: “Patrick Hutchinson carries an injured stranger to safety during yesterday’s protests. It’s easy to focus on the worst instincts of human behaviour. But it is vital we also celebrate the best.”

Boris Johnson condemned the “racist thuggery” of the rightwing protests in London, while the chancellor, Rishi Sunak, on Sunday described the scenes as “shocking and disgusting”.

Similar demonstrations took place elsewhere in the country, including in Bolton and Bristol, but appeared to proceed mostly peacefully as per The Guardian.

Patrick Hutchinson, pictured carrying a protestor to safety at violent demo says what happenedSource: YouTube/Channel4
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8 WAYS TO SUPPORT BLACK LIVES MATTER WHEREVER YOU ARE

Whether it’s by donating money, attending protests, educating yourself or amplifying the voices of black people, there are many ways to support the global struggle against racism – no matter where in the world you are.