Girl, 13, kicked in head at event
ABLACK Lives Matters (BLM) demonstrator has spoken of her shock after a 13-year-old girl was “kicked in the head” by an “All Lives Matter” protester.
Dozens of BLM supporters gathered outside Southport town hall on Saturday.
Protesters wearing face masks and observing social distancing rules held hand-made signs as they supported the BLM movement.
They also took to one knee and chanted “I can’t breathe” in solidarity after the death of George Floyd in America last month.
Margaret Hancock, who travelled from Leyland to take part, said there was also another group of people stood next to the cenotaph, near the town hall, with many of them shouting ‘All Lives Matter’.
Then as they sat listening to a BLM speaker a man rushed through the crowd angrily shouting ‘All Lives Matter’ before kicking a 13-year-old girl in the head.
She said: “A man ran through and was really aggressive. He was running at people. We were all seated and he rushed through us angrily shouting ‘all lives matter’.
“We were listening to a speaker at the time and she was trying to make herself heard.
“It was a bit shocking and next to me there was this family with a young girl. He ran straight through them and kicked her in the head as he tried to punch another protester.
“I don’t think she was badly injured. There wasn’t any blood or anything like that but it certainly shook up the poor girl and she was crying.
“It was such a strange thing as we weren’t doing anything. We were just sat there listening. It came out of nowhere.”
Margaret, who grew up in Southport, said it was the only incident in an otherwise peaceful event and praised the organisers for their hard work, enforcing social distancing and giving out free face coverings and hand sanitiser tho those who needed it.
She said: “It was the very first protest I have ever been to and it was incredible. It was so peaceful and we were all sitting and being socially distant.
“There were people of all different races and colours all mingling in with the same message.
“The speakers were wonderful. There were 13 and 14-year-olds speaking about the racism they have experienced in Southport. The organisers did a wonderful job.”
Southport’s Conservative MP Damien Moore had urged people to stay away from the Southport BLM protest due to the Covid pandemic.