Girl, 13, 'punished' for wearing Union flag dress to school tells Tommy Robinson march 'it's our duty to love Britain'
Courtney Wright says she was 'silenced' and told 'my voice didn't count' over choice of clothing
A 13-year-old girl who was sent home from school for wearing a Union flag dress to 'culture day' told a crowd of more than 110,000 far-right protesters at a Tommy Robinson march 'it's our duty' to love, respect, and keep Britain strong.
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In July, Schoolgirl Courtney Wright was put into isolation when she wore the sequinned union flag dress as part of the school’s ‘Culture Day’ celebration.
She was told her choice of clothes was ‘unacceptable’ and was hauled out of lessons and made to sit in isolation in reception until her father was able to collect her.
Today, she was introduced to a huge central London crowd by activist Tommy Robinson as a 'brave little British girl' as she walked onto the main stage at the right-wing activist’s 'Unite the Kingdom' protest.
“Even though I'm only 13 I already know how lucky we are to live in this country,” she told the crowd.
Read more: School at centre of Union flag dress row closes early over 'extremist threats to staff'
She added: “Britain is our home, it's a place built on courage, sacrifice and freedom.
“Millions before us fought to protect it and it's our duty to love it, respect it and keep it strong.
“We may be young but we are the future and together, with pride in our hearts, we will always stand for our great nation.”
Courtney shared how she was “silenced” and claimed: “My voice didn't count”.
She then read out a speech she had intended to deliver to classmates before she was sent home for her choice of dress earlier this summer.
Courtney read: “Today I want to talk about my culture, British culture and why it is important to me. In Britain we have lots of traditions including drinking tea, our love of talking about the weather and our royal family.
“We have amazing history, kings and queens, castles and writers like Shakespeare. It’s also modern, diverse and always changing.
“We have music, fashion and food from all around the world blending into daily life - and lets not forget about fish and chips.
“It’s also the way we speak, our humour, our values of politeness and fairness and the mix of old traditions and new ideas.”
“Sometimes in school we only hear about other cultures, which is great because learning about different countries is interesting and important.
“But you feel like being British doesn't count as a culture, just because it’s a majority
“I think culture should be for everyone, not just people from different countries and backgrounds.
“Being British is still a culture and it matters too. So let's celebrate all cultures, whether they come from far away or right here at home.”
Her remarks came amid a backdrop of violence as police made dozens of arrests after clashing with demonstrators as they descended on the capital.
At least 25 people were arrested and 26 police officers were injured – including four who were seriously hurt, the Metropolitan Police said.
Around 110,000 people were estimated by police to have gathered in Whitehall for the event, which faced counter-protests by around 5,000 anti-racism campaigners.
Objects including a traffic cone, bottles and pieces of wood were thrown at the line of officers as they started to push the group back towards Trafalgar Square and Northumberland Avenue at around 5.25pm.
They were assaulted with kicks and punches. Bottles, flares and other projectiles were thrown.
Scuffles broke out as police used batons to try and push back thousands of Robinson supporters gathered on the top of Whitehall and Trafalgar Square.