More than 100 people attended a rally and vehicle convoy in Surrey, British Columbia, in support of a 15-year-old girl who was beaten by several bullies.
The victim was attacked on May 7 outside of Hillcrest Elementary School in Cloverdale, B.C. The girl was lured there, expecting to meet friends for a birthday cake, but instead was faced with her aggressors, reported Global News. A video posted online showed several individuals chasing down the girl, screaming and swearing, eventually forcing her against a fence where she was made to kiss the aggressors’ shoes repeatedly. The bullies were seen kicking the girl multiple times at the end of the video.
The teen was left with “a concussion, broken nose, possible broken ankle, and many bloody scrapes and bruises that covered her body,” according to a GoFundMe page set up by someone who claimed to be the girl’s family member. The page said the girl also suffers from mental and emotional trauma, and the funds were collected for her counselling and medical treatments.
The donation campaign has a $3,000 goal, which had been surpassed by twice that amount as of May 16.
“We were shocked,“ Whiskey Wizards’ Thomas Smith told Global News. ”We have to do everything in our power to get out there and show support for them, so we created a convoy.”
“There’s people out there that support her, that don’t see what happened to her as right.”
The group’s vice president, Ron Tuck, who said he was also bullied in his youth, told Global that they were hoping to send one simple message to the victim.
“You’re not alone, you’re not the only one going through this, and there’s people who are going to be there for you,” he said.
The victim’s mother told Global News that she was grateful for all the support.
“It means a lot. What happened to my daughter was disgusting,” she said. “It’s not just for my daughter, it’s for future children and any children that are going through this.”
However, the mother said the problem remains as one of her daughter’s bullies continues to post photos of the assault online.
“How are you not disgusted with your child? If that was my kid she would not have access to a phone, she would not be out running the streets with her friends, she would not be able to bully her victim online,” the mother said.
“To the parents of these bullies, you need to be in control of your children, you need to know where your children are and what they’re doing.”
Both the mother and daughter’s identities are protected by the Youth Criminal Justice Act.
