TV reporter screams on air as she is attacked by man yelling ‘Allahu Akbar’ during protest in London


TV reporter screams live on air as she is attacked by screwdriver-wielding man yelling ‘Allahu Akbar’ while covering Black Lives Matter protest in London

  • Correspondent Sophie Walsh was assaulted while broadcasting this morning
  • Footage was not captured of attack but the reporter can be heard screaming
  • She later tweeted ‘I’m shaken but okay’ and thanked her ‘incredible cameraman’

A reporter screamed live on air as she was attacked by a screwdriver-wielding man yelling ‘Allahu Akbar’ while covering the Black Lives Matter protest in London.

Nine News’ Europe correspondent Sophie Walsh was assaulted while broadcasting at 9am this morning, according to the Australian network.

Footage was not captured of the attack but Ms Walsh can be heard screaming and seen clearly shaken afterwards while relaying the incident to one of her colleagues.

Nine News’ Europe correspondent Sophie Walsh, above, was seen clearly shaken after the attack while covering the Black Lives Matter protests in London this morning

She said: ‘Sorry, I just had someone come up and try and… yeah. 

‘A man just came up and grabbed me. He’s not armed. A man just came up and grabbed me though.’

A fellow presenter reported the attacker ‘made motions to stab her’ with the cameraman operator and bystanders chasing him down.

Footage later shows a man being detained by two police officers and held against a car bonnet.

The network said it is unclear whether the man ‘had a screwdriver in his hand or in his pocket’, reporting he was arrested for threats to kill and possessing an offensive weapon.

Ms Walsh later wrote on Twitter: ‘Thank you for your messages. The man has been arrested for threats to kill and carrying a weapon. I’m shaken but okay. 

‘Big thanks to my incredible cameraman Jason Conduit who chased him down armed with a light stand and got him arrested.’

Thousands of Black Lives Matter protesters including singer Liam Payne and actor John Boyega gathered in the capital city today as a show of force against the death of George Floyd in the US.

Footage showed a man being detained by two police officers, above, and held against a car bonnet. Ms Walsh later wrote on Twitter she is 'shaken but okay'

Footage showed a man being detained by two police officers, above, and held against a car bonnet. Ms Walsh later wrote on Twitter she is ‘shaken but okay’

Huge crowds came together in Hyde Park this afternoon despite ongoing social distancing rules as many campaigners wore face coverings and held signs with messages reading ‘Please, I can’t breathe’, ‘BLM’ and ‘Colour ≠ Crime’.

The rally comes as global demonstrations gather pace following the death of 46-year-old black man Mr Floyd who died after white police officer Derek Chauvin put his knee on his neck for nine minutes in Minneapolis on May 25.

Today, Star Wars star Boyega told the crowd: ‘Black lives have always mattered. We have always been important. We have always meant something. We have always succeeded regardless. And now is the time. I ain’t waiting.’  

One protester wore a Colin Kaepernick shirt after the black American footballer who started the knee protest in the US. Thousands of demonstrators at times went down on one knee chanting ‘George Floyd, George Floyd.’

Police were generally keeping in the background of the protest while helicopters circled above. Banners included ‘Enough is Enough’, ‘Remember Smiley Culture’, ‘Remember Cherry Groce’, and ‘UK is not innocent’.