A teenager who survived a stabbing in a Southport incident and thought she “wouldn't survive” has launched a campaign to make first aid lessons compulsory in schools.
Speaking to Sky News to mark the anniversary of the tragedy in which Axel Rudakubana killed three students, she said the proliferation of bladed weapons among young people was “disgusting”.
On July 29 last year, the heroine of the story, together with her younger sister, attended a dance event dedicated to the work of Taylor Swift.
During the attack, Rudakuban killed 9-year-old Alice da Silva Aguiar, 6-year-old Bebe King, and 7-year-old Elsie Dot Stancomb, and attempted to kill eight children and two adults.
Recalling what happened, the girl (whose name cannot be disclosed for legal reasons) said: “The girls were sitting in a circle making bracelets with the teachers, then some stood up to get materials. I was standing between the tables when he came in and stabbed the child in front of me. Then he came up and hit me in the arm.
“I turned around and then the blade went into my back – I didn't feel any pain at the time. I got to the landing where a group of scared girls had gathered and started to push them down, screaming at them to run.”
She continued: “My head was spinning: ‘Where is my sister? We need to save ourselves!’”
“I tried to get as many people out as possible, help them find a safe place.”
“It felt like it was the end,” she admitted.
When asked about her most vivid memories of the criminal, she replied: “His look.”
“The eyes seemed not to belong to a person – crazy, empty.
“It felt like a dream or a movie set where I was watching myself from the outside and making decisions.”
The victim noted that local residents who provided assistance to the wounded and sheltered children in their homes, as well as other witnesses to the tragedy, deserve “enormous respect.”
Following the incident, she began campaigning for mandatory first aid courses for schoolchildren and created a clothing brand, Go Anywhere, Be Anything, to raise awareness of knife violence.
“The people who carry knives are getting younger and younger, and it's unbearable to realize that they are my peers,” the girl said.
“It’s scary that this even occurs to someone.
“I want to do everything I can to show that this kind of behavior is unacceptable.”
After learning that Rudakubana had pleaded guilty, sparing her the trouble of testifying in court, she admitted: “It was angering – I had to emotionally prepare myself to meet him, and now I won't have to.”
The attacker, who was 17 at the time of the crime, was given a life sentence in January with a minimum of 52 years to serve.
Speaking about the hopes for an investigation and measures to prevent something like this from happening, she added: “It's important to find out all the failings in the system so that we can fix them and prevent it from happening again. After all, he basically went unnoticed, right?”
“The fear of a repeat of the tragedy does not go away. My sister is now afraid to leave the house or go to school.
“In the car, she constantly checks whether the doors are closed. This is traumatic for her psyche.”
A year later, the girl spoke about her experiences: “Physically, I am gradually recovering.
“The scars on the body will remain as a reminder, but all those who survived that day were left with much deeper emotional wounds.”
Sourse: breakingnews.ie
