‘Shame on you’: Protest outside Zara after girl attacked by group in UK's Bristol
Key Takeaways
- Protest outside Zara at Cabot Circus, Bristol, drew about 20 people on March 14.
- Protest followed a vicious street attack on a child on March 4.
- Slogans included "shame on you" and "accountability"; Zara shop remained mostly deserted.
Incident and protest timeline
Angry protesters gathered outside a Cabot Circus store in Bristol on Sunday following a vicious street attack on a child on March 4.
“Angry protesters gathered outside a Cabot Circus store in Bristol on Sunday following a vicious street attack on a child on March 4”
Around 20 people assembled on Saturday lunchtime (March 14) outside the Zara store.
They could be heard shouting "shame on you," or "shame on Zara," and "What do we want? Accountability. When do we want it? Now."
Pictures show Zara appeared to be mostly deserted, with only a few security guards inside, while the doors were locked as the crowd broke into chants and held placards with slogans such as 'shopping should be safe'.
Police were also in attendance, BristolLive reported.
The protest came after a girl was attacked outside Cabot Circus on March 4, leaving her in hospital.
Official responses and victim note
A total of five arrests have now been made after the girl, aged in her mid-teens, was attacked in Philadelphia Street, Cabot Circus, at around 7.45pm on Wednesday, March 4.
Five teenagers who were arrested in connection with the incident, which happened on Wednesday 4 March, have been released on bail.
The fashion retailer told BristolLive its 'thoughts are with the victim'.
A Zara UK spokesperson said: “Our thoughts are with the victim of this terrible incident. The victim was in our store for a short period of time before leaving, after which the situation escalated away from the store. We are assisting the police with their investigation and will continue to support them in any way that we can.”
Family account and circulated video
The video has circulated widely on social media, and it is thought to be linked to a recent trend, which encouraged pupils to fight each other.
“Angry protesters gathered outside a Cabot Circus store in Bristol on Sunday following a vicious street attack on a child on March 4”
The girl's dad said the incident has left her so traumatised, she has not attended school.
He described the video of the attack as 'sickening.'
The girl's dad, who we are calling Phil to protect the identity of the family, told the BBC she feels 'let down' that witnesses did not intervene.
'She was seen walking around Cabot with, you know, 25 people following her,' Phil said.
'For 25 minutes, they were following her...Nobody wanted to help. Nobody wanted to say, are you safe?'
Arrests and bail status
A total of five arrests have now been made after the girl, aged in her mid-teens, was attacked in Philadelphia Street, Cabot Circus, at around 7.45pm on Wednesday, March 4.
Five teenagers who were arrested in connection with the incident have been released on bail.
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