‘National hero? I did what I had to do to save a life. We protected those who needed us’
Personal trainer whose courage was captured in viral photo as he saved injured man speaks out
THE Black Lives Matter demonstrator who was photographed carrying an injured white man away from danger has described how he was compelled to act because he feared the man was about to be killed.
The image of Patrick Hutchinson, a personal trainer from Wimbledon, south-west London, carrying the man on his shoulder through the rioting crowd went viral as a symbol of hope and unity amid the chaos of Saturday’s disorder.
Yesterday Mr Hutchinson, who is also an athletics coach, dismissed suggestions that he was a “national hero”, insisting he had simply acted on instinct to protect the man.
The security consultant and martial arts expert said he and a group of friends had decided to attend the Black Lives Matter protests in London to prevent young black demonstrators from getting into trouble.
“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,” he explained.
But as they approached Waterloo station, trouble flared with a large group of far-right protesters, and running battles broke out with the police caught in the middle.
It is not clear whether the man who was carried to safety had been part of the demonstrations or whether he was simply caught up in the chaos and the violence.
Mr Hutchinson said that he spotted him lying on the ground and quickly realised that if he did not act, the man was in danger of being crushed or even beaten to death.
He told Channel 4 News: “It was pretty hectic. It was almost like a stampede. There were lots of people. There were people trying to protect him, but unsuccessfully.”
He explained that his friends, who had also realised the danger, attempted to put a cordon around the man in order to prevent him coming to any more harm.
“His life was under threat,” he said. “I thought, ‘Well if he stays here he’s not going to make it’, so I just went under, scooped him up, put him on my shoulders and sort of 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 some of the guys were probably taking some of that themselves on their person.”
Asked if it was scary, he said: “Yes it was, but you don’t think about that at the time. You just do what you have got to do.” Mr Hutchinson added: “It’s not black versus white, it is everyone versus racists. We had each other’s back and protected those who needed us.”
He went on: “If the other three police officers that were there 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.”
Mr Hutchinson said he hoped the image of him helping the man would help spread the message of peace and unity.
“I just want 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,” he explained.
Mr Hutchinson was accompanied on the march by Pierre Noah, a security worker; fellow personal trainer and MMA fighter Jamaine Facey; security consultant Lee Russell and businessman Chris Otokito.
They all stepped in to help the man. Mr Facey said he had acted to prevent a further backlash against the black community.
He said: “For me, I wasn’t protecting him, I was protecting our kids. I was protecting their future. Because I know the judge would not have seen what happened before. I was saving our kids’ future.”
Friends and clients of Mr Hutchinson last night praised his quick thinking and decisive actions.
One wrote on social media: “This is what I want to see. A truly incredible man. Nothing but respect.”
‘I thought if he stayed there he wasn’t going to make it, so I just scooped him up and put him on my shoulder’