26 | THE VOICE AUGUST 2022 26 | THE VOICE MARCH 2023
Montel Gordon
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Schools need to learn from Ashford attack
SUPPORT: Protesters gathered outside the school in Ashford, Kent, chanting ‘you touch one, you touch all’, and ‘forever family’
Safeguarding isn’t protecting our children
L
AST MONTH a racist attack went viral on Black social media. A video of a Black student being beaten by a group of white girls flew across people’s phones, screens, and minds. Again? The attack occurred in broad daylight outside of Thomas Knyvett College in Ashford, Kent. The police acted quickly on this occasion, given the evidence and outrage. Girls aged
10, 11, and 16 have been arrested, along with a 39-year-old woman and a 43-year-old man. In addition, a 15-year-old girl is currently wanted for her connection to the attack. The video appears to show the inaction of the other numerous bystanders. Some seem to be on the side of the attackers. Others watch from cars. The bystanders could’ve easily stopped the attack – it wasn’t a fight – even
before the young woman had her head repeatedly stamped on. One driver asked the attackers to stop. However, his appeal was drowned out by the white woman’s screams to ‘Get at her!’ All five were arrested on suspicion of racially aggravated offences. Demographically speaking, Ashford is not the most multicultural area, made up of predominantly white estates. The Office for National Statis-
tics (ONS) reported in the 2021 census 88.1 per cent of people identified as white, whereas 2.6 per cent identified in the Black, Black British, Caribbean, or African category. Safeguarding has become the new ‘buzzword’ in the education sector, with schools passionate about protecting kids, particularly those deemed most vulnerable. Although policies play a considerable feat in the failing safeguarding of
Black girls, the over-policing of schools ironically under-protects many Black and minority ethnic students, as the Runnymede Trust report conducted in January of this year examines how 979 police officers operate on school grounds. Although lauded as ensuring the safety of students, the inappropriate handling of Child Q, in addition to the already known fact that police officers demonise Black behaviour. This
recruitment of the criminal justice into the schools alludes to the school-to-prison pipeline, a phenomenon common in the US. Despite the situation, seeing the community engagement and campaigning towards galvanising swift action from the police and school was great. My overall thoughts are sent towards the young woman and her family, that they’re being supported, and, more so, schools learn to do better.
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