Carlisle Parents come together over 'traumatic' racist bullying

We are here today to give our children confidence that parents have their back," said Paul, speaking outside a school in Carlisle that has become the centre of a race attack storm. "We are saying: 'Don't be afraid.' We need to nip these things in the bud now.

- Mark Brown

Things are getting out of hand." Paul was one of about 30 angry parents and supporters outside the school yesterday morning. They wanted answers after a black pupil there was subjected to abhorrent and distressing racial abuse.

A video filmed on Friday and now circulating on social media appears to show the boy being taunted, pushed and punched by one white boy, who makes him kiss his shoes.

The boy's mother and supporters held a meeting with a senior teacher and school governors as the protesters waited with handmade signs expressing their anger.

One of those at the meeting was Janett Walker, the chief executive of the campaign group Anti Racist Cumbria. She said afterwards that it had been an encouraging meeting, but it was early days. She said incidents like this were too often blamed on bad apples.

"It's not just about bad apples," she said. "We have got deep-rooted racism in society and we need to look at how we uproot that, not just keep blaming it on individuals. It is a societal problem.