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‘Didn’t want to see him die’: Incredible image from violent BLM protests

A photo of a Black Lives Matter marcher carrying an injured counter-protester to safety amid violent scenes in London has gone viral.

The picture shows Patrick Hutchinson with the injured white protester in a fireman’s lift over his shoulder after he was allegedly attacked near Waterloo station, in central London, on Saturday.

The pair are surrounded by protesters from both groups, as violence erupted on London streets.

Mr Hutchinson told Britain’s Sky News he “didn’t want to see him die”.

“I really feel that if we hadn’t intervened when we did, I genuinely think he may have died,” he said.

“I didn’t do it for him per se. I didn’t want to see him perish or die but I really did it for the young men and women of BLM.”

Saturday’s London protests were among the most violent seen in British cities and elsewhere globally since the death of black man George Floyd at the hands of police in Minneapolis on May 25.

A Reuters journalist covering the demonstrations said the injured man had apparently been hurt in a skirmish with anti-racism protesters.

Reuters said Mr Hutchison, a personal trainer, wrote on his social media account later on Saturday: “We saved a life today”.

Earlier, he told Britain’s News on Sunday the incident was “scary”.

“It was pretty hectic, it was almost like a stampede,” he said.

“The guys went in there, they sort of put a little cordon around him to stop him receiving any more physical harm. His life was under threat.

“So I just went under, scooped him up and put him on my shoulders and sort of started marching towards the police with him whilst all the guys were surrounding me and protecting me and the guy I had on my shoulder.”

On Sunday, London police said 113 people were arrested at the weekend and 23 officers were injured, none of them seriously.

The heated scuffles prompted British Prime Minister Boris Johnson to warn against racist behaviour and violence.

“Racist thuggery has no place on our streets. Anyone attacking the police will be met with full force of the law,” Mr Johnson tweeted.

On Monday (Australian time), Mr Johnson announced a cross-government commission to examine racism and discrimination against minority ethnic groups in education, health and the criminal justice system.

Mr Johnson said he could not ignore the strength of feeling shown by the tens of thousands who had demonstrated in London and elsewhere in Britain.

“We have to look at discrimination in the education system, in health, in the criminal justice system, we have to look at all ways in which it affects black and minority ethnic groups,” he said.

“We’re going have a big, big effort, which we will be announcing very shortly: A new cross-government commission to look at what is going on for black and minority ethnic groups and to champion their success.”

He said progress in tackling racism and improving opportunities, such as significantly more black and ethnic minority students going to university, had been “slightly lost”.

“What I really want to do as prime minister is change the narrative, so we stop the sense of victimisation and discrimination,” he said.

“We stop the discrimination, we stamp out racism and we start to have a real sense of expectation of success, that’s where I want to get to.”

“But it won’t be easy. We’ll have to look very carefully at the real racism and discrimination that people face.”

-with AAP

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