Syrian refugee boy bullied at UK school

OVER £120,000 RAISED AFTER VIRAL VIDEO OF SYRIAN REFUGEE BOY SPARKS OUTRAGE

Jamal, a 15-year-old Syrian refugee who was pushed to the ground and had water poured on his face in a video shared on social media has said he no longer feels safe studying there.

His comments came as fresh footage emerged on Wednesday of what was said to be the boy’s sister being physically abused at the same school.

West Yorkshire police said they were investigating an allegation of a racially aggravated assault against a 15-year-old boy and that a 16-year-old boy would be charged with assault.

Footage of the playground incident, which occurred at Almondbury community school on 25 October, went viral on Tuesday night.

Speaking for the first time since the incident, the boy said: “I woke up at night and just started crying about this problem. They think I’m different — different from them. I don’t feel safe at school. Sometimes I say to my dad: ‘I don’t want to go to school any more.’ I was just crying and I didn’t do nothing because I respect the school rules.”

Supporters were organising a peaceful protest outside the school yesterday.

Tasnime Akunjee, a solicitor representing the family, told

The Guardian they were considering moving away from the area and had received offers to be rehomed in Oxford.

Daughter bullied

He said the couple’s 14-yearold daughter, who attends the same school, had been bullied by another group of pupils. Last week someone forcibly removed the girl’s hijab. On Tuesday, a girl was excluded from the school over the incident.

Further footage allegedly showing the boy’s sister being attacked by other pupils has also emerged. The video shows the girl being shoved from behind and then being pushed towards a grass verge. At the end of the clip, she falls to the ground.

West Yorkshire police said they were investigating the incident. “We have been made aware of a video showing a girl being assaulted at Almondbury community school. The incident had not previously been reported to the police but we are now liaising with the girl’s family, who we are continuing to support,” the force said.

The family came to Huddersfield two years ago after fleeing persecution under the Bashar Al Assad regime in Syria. They first went to Lebanon, where they lived for six years, and were later given safe passage to Britain by the UN before being resettled in 2016.

Thousands of Britishers have united in condemnation of the bully who ‘waterboarded the Syrian refugee boy.

A fund-raising page for the boy and his family has received more than £120,000 (Dh563,352) in donations since it was launched on Tuesday night.

A spokesperson for West Yorkshire police said the 16-year-old boy had been interviewed and reported for summons for an offence of assault. He will appear at youth court in due course.

“The incident occurred on 25 October this year and has been subject to thorough investigation since it was reported to us the day after. The alleged victim and his family are receiving ongoing support from police and other agencies,” the force said.

The video of the later incident has been viewed thousands of times and attracted hundreds of comments of condemnation.