Hundreds gathering to rally in support of Mission teen attacked and bullied by fellow students

MISSION (NEWS 1130) — An anti-bullying parade is set for Sunday afternoon in Mission to support a non-binary teen who was hit and punched by two girls while other students cheered them on.

Video of the incident — which made the rounds on social media last week, shocking parents and teachers — showed the teenager sitting defenceless on the ground outside École Heritage Park Middle School, as two 14-year-old girls assaulted them.

At 1 p.m., vehicles decorated in pink will meet at Mission Raceway Park before driving along the district’s waterfront to show support for the victim and take a stand against bullying.

Since the video surfaced, the assault has shocked both the Mission community and the rest of Canada.

The mother of the victim, who prefers not to be named, says there has been an overwhelming outpouring of support for her child.

“Been such an outpouring of support that we can’t keep up with the emails and the messages and the phone calls, and it’s just unreal how many people are reaching out and being like, ‘Hey, we hear you, we see you, we stand with you,'” she says. “We’ve had people reaching out as far as Ontario.

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The mother says her child is doing better, saying her teen this weekend said, “I feel the support … and I’m feeling pretty confident.”

The mother adds she has one message for kids who may be going through a hard time.

“You’re not alone. You’re being heard. You are being seen. And people stand by you,” she says. “So if you’re being bullied, sure to tell somebody because you’ll have an entire community behind you because nobody wants to see bullying happening anymore.”

At a car rally today in Mission BC to show support for a trans sister who was harassed at school. Amazing turn out! Such a happy crowd. pic.twitter.com/w3afr87jwn

— Claudia (@Claudi_not_rain) January 17, 2021

Mission RCMP arrested two girls in connection to the incident and are recommending criminal charges against the pair.

Mounties are also looking into reports this incident may just be the beginning when it comes to violence among children in Mission.

Organizers of Sunday’s demonstration will be working to enforce COVID-19 safe practices.