A hero who carried a far-right protester to safety in the midst of clashes with anti-racism protesters in London yesterday has identified himself as Patrick Hutchinson. Photo / Getty
A hero who carried a far-right protester to safety in the midst of clashes with anti-racism protesters in London yesterday has identified himself as Patrick Hutchinson. Photo / Getty
The Black Lives Matter supporter who helped save a "far-right" protester whose "life was in danger" during violent clashes in London has been named, and labelled a hero.
Black Lives Matter counter-protesters had faced off against far-right groups in London's Trafalgar Square after the right-wingers headed to the UK capital with the stated aim of protecting statues from vandalism.
A man, identified as far-right by members of the crowd, was lying injured on the ground and was rescued by members of an anti-racist protest group.
He had been attacked by Black Lives Matter protesters and was in a vulnerable state, and "partially unconscious".
That's until Patrick Hutchinson stepped in and carried the man to safety.
Breaking his silence, the personal trainer and grandfather revealed why he intervened and hoped his actions will help others be kind to others.
A hero who carried a far-right protester to safety in the midst of clashes with anti-racism protesters in London yesterday has identified himself as Patrick Hutchinson. Photo / Getty
"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 what we did, George Floyd would be alive today still," he told Channel 4.
"I just want equality for all of us. At the moment, the scales are unfairly balanced and I want things to be fair for my children and my grandchildren."
He went on to describe how his group of friends helped save the man.
"On arrival I note, at this point, the guy was already on the floor," he said.
"It was pretty hectic, it was almost like a stampede, there was lots of people, people trying to protect him but unsuccessfully.
"And then the guys went in there, they put a little cordon around him to stop him receiving any more physical harm.
"He was under physical harm, his life was under threat. And as they did that, I thought, 'well if he stays here he's not going to make it'.
"So I went under, scooped him up, put him on my shoulders and started marching towards the police with him, while all the guys were surrounding me, and protecting me and the guy I had on my shoulder.
"I could actually feel strikes and hits as I was carrying him, so these guys were probably taking some of that themselves on their person.
"It was [scary], you don't think about that though at the time. You just do what you've got to do."
The injured man was identified as a far-right protestor. Photo / Getty Images
Asked his reaction to being called a hero, he added: "I was just the guy caught on camera with him on my shoulder, but all these guys were all party to it. Without them protecting me, I would have probably got stampeded as well underneath it. So it was a team effort.
"I had no plans to go up there. I was at home looking after my grandchildren - and my friend said we've gotta go and protect the women and the children and stop these young guys from getting in any trouble."
White nationals were out protecting monuments and statues that were the target of the Black Lives Matter movement after some had previously been defaced and toppled.
Many from the far-right camp gathered around a statue of wartime Prime Minister Winston Churchill and the Cenotaph war memorial, both boarded up to guard against vandalism.
A large crowd gathers as the man is carried away. Photo / Getty Images
Officials put protective panels around the monuments amid fears far-right activists would seek confrontations with anti-racism protesters under the guise of protecting statues.
Some activists threw bottles and cans at officers, while others tried to push through police barriers. Riot police on horses pushed the crowd back. The protesters, who appeared to be mostly white men, chanted "England" and sang the national anthem.
"I am extremely fed up with the way that the authorities have allowed two consecutive weekends of vandalism against our national monuments," Paul Golding, leader of the far-right group Britain First, told the Press Association.
Scotland Yard said five people were arrested for violent disorder, assault on police and possession of weapons or drugs. Six police officers suffered minor injuries.
Monuments around the world have become flashpoints in demonstrations against racism and police violence after the May 25 death of George Floyd, a black man who died in Minneapolis after a white police officer pressed a knee to his neck.
In Britain, the protests have triggered a national debate about the legacy of empire and its role in the slave trade. A statue of slave trader Edward Colston was hauled from its plinth by protesters in the city of Bristol on Sunday and dumped in the harbour. In London, Churchill's statue was daubed with the words "was a racist".
Prime Minister Boris Johnson tweeted on Friday that while Churchill "sometimes expressed opinions that were and are unacceptable to us today", he was a hero and "we cannot now try to edit or censor our past". Churchill, whose first term spanned 1940-45, has long been revered for his leadership during World War II.
