Who is Patrick Hutchinson and what happened at the London Black Lives Matter protest?
HAILED as a ‘hero,’ Patrick Hutchinson’s actions have become a symbol of unity as racial issues reach a boiling point in the UK. But who is Patrick Hutchinson, what has he said about racism, and what happened at the Black Lives Matter protest on June 13? Who is Patrick Hutchinson? Patrick Hutchinson, a personal […]
HAILED as a ‘hero,’ Patrick Hutchinson’s actions have become a symbol of unity as racial issues reach a boiling point in the UK.
But who is Patrick Hutchinson, what has he said about racism, and what happened at the Black Lives Matter protest on June 13?
Who is Patrick Hutchinson?
Patrick Hutchinson, a personal trainer from Wimbledon, and has been dubbed a ‘hero’ for his intervention during a protest in London.
The dad-of-two was pictured scooping up and carrying a white man from an opposing group who’s life was “under threat” during the demonstration on June 13.
Footage and images from the Black Lives Matter protest showed Patrick and four friends aiding the alleged far right protester as the violence mounted.
Patrick, a martial arts expert, said: “It’s not black versus white, it’s everyone versus the racists.
“His life was under threat so I just scooped him up on to my shoulders and started marching towards the police with him.
“It was scary. But you don’t think about it at the time, you do what you’ve got to do.”
In an attempt to keep the peace, Patrick carried the white man over his shoulder and took him behind police lines to safety.
The man he saved, allegedly part of an alt-right group, had been left alone and was being beaten by rival activists.
Patrick and his friends uploaded a four-minute video from the protests on Saturday, showing hundreds of men fighting with police while singing England football songs and the national anthem.
Patrick’s heroic actions have gone viral – and have become a symbol of unity as the UK is forced to address its racial issues, triggered by the murder of George Floyd in the US.
What happened at the BLM protest on June 13?
On June 13, hundreds of demonstrators attended a protest at Parliament Square, organised by far right groups, including Britain First.
They claimed they were gathering in central London around the statue of Winston Churchill and the Cenotaph in order to protect the historical monuments from vandalism.
However, violence soon broke out between protestors and police – with flares, smoke grenades and missiles being hurled at officers wearing riot gear.
Police have confirmed that 23 officers were injured and 113 arrests were made.
In contrast, the Black Lives Matter protests which took place days before at Hyde Park and Marble Arch were relatively peaceful.
What has Patrick said about racism?
Patrick, from Wimbledon, London, has been vocal about racial issues since the image of him rescuing the man went viral.
Plain and simply, Patrick said: “I want equality, for all of us.”
He told Channel 4 News: “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, George would be alive today.”
He added: “At the moment, the scales are unfairly balanced, and i just want things to be fair, for my children and my grandchildren.”
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Pierre Noah, one of Patrick’s friends also at the protest, added: “It would have turned out really bad because someone’s life could have been taken.
“And you know what would have happened straight away, ‘Black boys have killed somebody, they’ve killed a white man’.
“So we had to go out there.”
