Five people have been arrested after a teenage girl was attacked in what police have described as a “racially aggravated” attack outside a college in Surrey on Monday.
“Shocking” footage circulating online shows a victim, who is a black school pupil, being punched and kicked, as well as having her braids pulled from her head as onlookers can be heard shouting “kick her in the face”.
A 39-year-old woman and a 43-year-old man have been arrested in connection with the incident, as well as three girls aged 16, 11 and 10.
Police also want to speak to a sixth suspect, a 15-year-old girl, who is believed to be involved in the incident at Thomas Knyvett College in Ashford.
In response to the incident, thousands of people have signed a Change.org petition while dozens attended a protest at the school on Wednesday afternoon.
Ange Elliott, a cousin of the victim in the video, told Sky News she drove from Northampton to the school to join others in the protest.
She said she spoke to her cousin, who she said is not eating or talking much following the incident and that her body is sore.
“They took nine braids – when you look [at her scalp] you can see the dots where the braids came out,” she said.
Ms Elliot said she believed her cousin “was failed” outside of the school, leaving her feeling “dehumanised”.
“Two minutes – two minutes and nobody came out that’s the main painful part for me,” she added.
She also criticised the headteacher, who she says did not do enough to break up the incident.
Glyndora, 52, has a son in Year 11 at the college and said she attended to “protest against what happened to that black child”.
“She didn’t deserve it,” she told Sky News.
She said her own son has experienced racially aggravated incidents at the school but when she has reported it, “the school does not take anything seriously”.
Another parent, Warsun, 41, also has children at the school and was among the crowd gathering in front of its gates.
“It’s frightening,” she said.
“My children are supposed to be safe at school, but they are not.”
She is calling for the headteacher to resign.
The headteacher of the school was not present during the protest.
But the executive principal of the Howard Partnership Trust, Philip Wheatley, was in attendance, acting as a spokesperson on behalf of the school.
When asked to comment on claims by other concerned parents, he said it was “important not to bunch things together”.
“Any incident that happens in the school of course we deal and respond to,” Mr Wheatley said.
He added that he was “fully aware people are very upset and there is a process by the police and also as a trust in terms of understanding what’s happened”.
In a statement on its website, the Trust said it had closed the school early on Wednesday “in the interests of safety of all concerned”.
“Uppermost in our thoughts has been the welfare and care of the victim, but The Howard Partnership Trust, of which Thomas Knyvett College is a part, is aware this incident has caused tension among the wider community.
“We are taking this situation extremely seriously and are working with all agencies involved.
“We need to ask for calm and patience while vital work is undertaken to establish the facts.”
Inspector Maxine Cilia, borough commander for the borough of Spelthorne in Surrey, said: “The video footage of this incident is shocking, and we appreciate the concern it will have caused the wider community.
“Every school child should feel safe as they move through the local community, and we will not tolerate this level of violence.
“We are providing specialist support to the victim who has now returned home after being treated for the injuries she sustained in this distressing assault.
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“Officers are working hard to gather as much evidence as possible to build a strong case.”
Surrey Police are also requesting for people to stop sharing footage of the “distressing incident” online, reminding members of the public that this is now an active case.
Police say four suspects have been arrested on suspicion of attempted racially aggravated GBH.
One of the suspects and an additional male have been arrested on suspicion of child neglect and encouraging an offence to be committed.
