A boy, 16, was stopped and searched by police as he sought their help after being glassed in the face during protests in London.

The teenager, named only as Gerard, had intended to join Black Lives Matter demonstrations on June 13 after being moved by the death of George Floyd in the US. He didn’t realise the event had been called off due to a far-right activists organising their own counter protests for the same day.

Realising that the majority of the crowds were pro-racism, Gerard said he wanted to stay close to the police, but was later approached by two men who were part of ‘a whole mob of what appeared to be far-right supporters’.

He said he told the group he wasn’t involved in the protests, but they proceeded to pull him to the ground, where he was then physically attacked. The assault only ended once a bystander pulled him to safety, and he was left with a bloodied face and impaired sight.

Gerard told Channel 4 that he then sought the police assistance, but said the officer he spoke to did look for injuries but also stopped and searched him. He added: ‘He seemed a bit wary of me at the same time.’

His mum, Fanta, went on: ‘Who would have missed the blood? Had that been a 16-year-old white boy would that child have been ignored?

‘If you can go to a police officer bleeding , asking for help, you left him … saying you were going to help your colleagues.’

A spokesperson for the Met Police confirmed Gerard had approached them with a facial injury and reported being attacked by a group of men. They said the officers he spoke to were ‘actively engaged in the police operation to deal with the violent incidents seeking medical assistance’.

A section 60 order was in place that gave officers the power to stop and search those they believed to have been involved in violence, they said in a statement. Gerard’s injury was assessed and deemed not serious.

He was then advised to make his way to the outer cordon for any medical attention, as an ambulance would not be able to reach him in his current location. There, officers waited with him until a London Ambulance Service (LAS) arrived at the scene and he was taken to hospital and later discharged.

An investigation into the incident is ongoing, with the Met’s Assistant Deputy Commissioner Amanda Pearson stating that it is being treated as ‘racially aggravated assault’, The Sun reports.

She said: ‘This incident is being fully investigated by our officers. Detailed analysis of CCTV is being carried out to identify those involved. We will of course keep the victim and his family fully updated with the progress of this investigation.’

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