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| Croydon 'hate crime' attack: six arrests after teenager left in critical condition | Croydon 'hate crime' attack: six arrests after teenager left in critical condition |
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| Six people have been arrested after a teenage asylum seeker was left fighting for his life in hospital by a gang in an attack being treated as a hate crime by police. | Six people have been arrested after a teenage asylum seeker was left fighting for his life in hospital by a gang in an attack being treated as a hate crime by police. |
| The boy was with two friends late on Friday night at a bus stop in Croydon when he was approached by a group of about eight people, who demanded to know where he was from. After replying that he was seeking asylum, the gang chased him and launched their attack. | The boy was with two friends late on Friday night at a bus stop in Croydon when he was approached by a group of about eight people, who demanded to know where he was from. After replying that he was seeking asylum, the gang chased him and launched their attack. |
| The teenager, a Kurdish Iranian aged 17, was left unconscious on the ground after receiving repeated blows to the head. Scotland Yard said he suffered a fractured skull and blood clot on the brain and on Sunday was said to be in a serious but stable condition. The two other youths suffered minor injuries. | |
| Scotland Yard on Sunday said four men and two women in their 20s were arrested on suspicion of attempted murder and violent disorder late on Saturday at addresses in Croydon. | Scotland Yard on Sunday said four men and two women in their 20s were arrested on suspicion of attempted murder and violent disorder late on Saturday at addresses in Croydon. |
| Investigating officer Kris Blamires, from Croydon CID, described the incident as a “brutal attack”. | Investigating officer Kris Blamires, from Croydon CID, described the incident as a “brutal attack”. |
| “He has sustained serious head and facial injuries as a result of this attack, which included repeated blows to the head by a large group of attackers,” he said. “A number of people came to the aid of the victim as he lay unconscious and injured following the assault.” | “He has sustained serious head and facial injuries as a result of this attack, which included repeated blows to the head by a large group of attackers,” he said. “A number of people came to the aid of the victim as he lay unconscious and injured following the assault.” |
| Those arrested were a 24-year-old man, a 24-year-old woman, three 20-year-old men and a 20-year-old woman. | Those arrested were a 24-year-old man, a 24-year-old woman, three 20-year-old men and a 20-year-old woman. |
| The attack prompted a wave of condemnation, with Conservative minister Gavin Barwell, Croydon Central’s MP, describing the attackers as “scum”. He said: “I think most people in Croydon will be as appalled as I am that what appears to have happened is a young man who came to this country seeking sanctuary has apparently been targeted because of his ethnic background. It’s an appalling crime and I hope the people responsible are caught quickly and receive the full force of British justice.” | The attack prompted a wave of condemnation, with Conservative minister Gavin Barwell, Croydon Central’s MP, describing the attackers as “scum”. He said: “I think most people in Croydon will be as appalled as I am that what appears to have happened is a young man who came to this country seeking sanctuary has apparently been targeted because of his ethnic background. It’s an appalling crime and I hope the people responsible are caught quickly and receive the full force of British justice.” |
| He added that Croydon was a diverse community and generally had “very good relations between people of different backgrounds”. | He added that Croydon was a diverse community and generally had “very good relations between people of different backgrounds”. |
| The Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, wrote on Twitter: “Absolutely shocked at attack on young Kurdish asylum seeker, who came here searching for safety. I fervently hope he makes a full recovery.” | |
| Absolutely shocked at attack on young Kurdish asylum seeker, who came here searching for safety. I fervently hope he makes a full recovery. | |
| The shadow home secretary, Diane Abbott, condemned the attack and suggested the Conservatives had failed to get to grips with hate crimes. “Sadly, this is not an isolated incident but part of a sustained increase in hate crimes that this Tory government is yet to offer any effective response to,” she said. | The shadow home secretary, Diane Abbott, condemned the attack and suggested the Conservatives had failed to get to grips with hate crimes. “Sadly, this is not an isolated incident but part of a sustained increase in hate crimes that this Tory government is yet to offer any effective response to,” she said. |
| “With rightwing politicians across the world scapegoating migrants, refugees and others for their economic problems, we are seeing a deeply worrying rise in the politics of hate. We must make clear that there is no place for anti-foreigner myths, racism and hate in our society.” | “With rightwing politicians across the world scapegoating migrants, refugees and others for their economic problems, we are seeing a deeply worrying rise in the politics of hate. We must make clear that there is no place for anti-foreigner myths, racism and hate in our society.” |
| The director of advocacy at the Refugee Council, Lisa Doyle, said: “We’re disgusted to hear that a young man who fled to this country in fear of his life has been subjected to such a vicious hate crime in the very place he hoped to find safety. | |
| “Hate crimes have no place in Britain or anywhere else.We hope the perpetrators of this appalling attack are swiftly brought to justice and we wish the victim a full and speedy recovery.” | |
| Blamires added: “At this early stage, it is believed that about eight suspects approached the victim as he waited at a bus stop with two friends outside the Goat public house in the Shrublands area. It is understood that the suspects asked the victim where he was from, and when they established that he was an asylum seeker, they chased him and launched a brutal attack.” | |
| A London ambulance service spokeswoman said: “We were called at 11.41pm on Friday to reports of an assault on Shrublands Avenue, Croydon. We sent an ambulance crew, a senior paramedic in a car and an incident response officer to the scene. We treated a teenager for serious head injuries and he was taken to a major trauma centre as a priority.” | |
| The teenager’s condition has since been updated to “serious but stable”. | |
| Police are urging those who helped the boy and anyone who witnessed the attack to get in touch, calling the police on 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. | Police are urging those who helped the boy and anyone who witnessed the attack to get in touch, calling the police on 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. |