This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/nov/29/bullied-syrian-refugee-huddersfield-school

The article has changed 7 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 0 Version 1
Bullied Syrian refugee says he no longer feels safe at Huddersfield school Bullied Syrian refugee says he will not return to Huddersfield school
(about 5 hours later)
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. A 15-year-old Syrian refugee seen being pushed to the ground and having water poured on his face in a video shared on social media has said he will not return to the school where the incident took place.
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. Footage of the playground incident, which occurred at Almondbury community school on 25 October, went viral on Tuesday night. Since then, fresh footage has emerged that is said to show 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. On Thursday afternoon around 30 protesters took part in a peaceful demonstration outside the school organised by the Huddersfield Pakistani Community Alliance. Four of the group then had a meeting with headteacher, Trevor Bowen.
Footage of the playground incident, which occurred at Almondbury community school on 25 October, went viral on Tuesday night. The boy, who can be identified only as Jamal, and his father briefly made an appearance at the protest and thanked the local community for their support. The father added: “Thank you to Pakistan. Thanks to everyone.”
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.” Speaking at his home, Jamal told the Guardian that he and his sister would not be returning to classes. “We are not going back to the school. We are just talking about what we are going to do now,” he said.
Supporters are organising a peaceful protest outside the school on Thursday. Nazia Hussain, 42, who attended the protest, said the community wanted to show their support after the “appalling” treatment of the refugee family, and called for schools in the area to run integration lessons to avoid similar incidents in the future.
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. She said: “It has caused uproar amongst local people and we just wanted to show this family that we are here for them. The racial undertones to this incident have been horrendous and schools in the area need to do more to integrate refugee families.”
He said the couple’s 14-year-old 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. The family came to Huddersfield two years ago after fleeing persecution under the Bashar al-Assad regime in Syria. Syed Rashad Bokhari, the chief operating officer of the Huddersfield Pakistani Community Alliance, questioned the placement of the family in a predominantly white area.
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. “There is a problem with the whole system, they should never have been placed here,” he said. “There are so many other areas locally which would have been better suited to their needs and we would have been able to avoid this situation.”
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. Mohammed Pandor, an imam, said the meeting with the headteacher was “very productive”. He said: “We are confident that school is taking this case very seriously. Clearly when someone comes from Syria, fleeing Assad’s regime, coming to a place like this, when you get treated that way, that’s an issue. And the whole world is looking at us.”
Akunjee said the family had contacted him and their local MP, Barry Sheerman, a month ago. The solicitor said he became so concerned he contacted the police and local authority. Tasnime Akunjee, a solicitor representing the family, previously told the Guardian they were considering moving away from the area and had received offers to be rehomed in Oxford.
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. A fundraising page for the boy and his family has received more than £140,000 in donations since it was launched on Tuesday night.
A fundraising page for the boy and his family has received more than £120,000 in donations since it was launched on Tuesday night. Akunjee said: “They will be using this money to relocate from Huddersfield. They don’t want to live there any more, the level of abuse the children have received has become too much. They now need to take stock and get over the shock of it all. The children need to move on with this and get on with their lives.”
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. He said the couple’s 14-year-old daughter had been bullied by another group of pupils, and last week someone had forcibly removed her hijab. On Tuesday a girl was excluded from the school over that incident.
“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. Further footage has emerged allegedly showing the girl being attacked by other pupils. The video shows a girl being pushed towards a grass verge. At the end of the clip she falls to the ground.
It said an unconnected incident on 7 October, in which the same boy sustained a wrist injury, was investigated at the time. Three youths were interviewed but no further police action was taken and the matter was referred to the school. West Yorkshire police said they were investigating the latest incident. “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 video of the later incident has been viewed thousands of times and attracted hundreds of comments of condemnation. Police said on Wednesday that a 16-year-old boy had been interviewed in connection with the Jamal incident and would be charged with assault.
In a letter to parents on Wednesday, the headteacher, Trevor Bowen, said: “Since the incident occurred in October, the school, the local authority and the police have all taken action. The video of that incident has been viewed thousands of times and attracted hundreds of comments of condemnation. The alleged perpetrator has been the subject of hundreds of violent threats online and on Thursday a police guard remained outside his home.
“We must allow the legal process to take its course, but I want to be absolutely clear that we do not tolerate unacceptable behaviour of any sort in our school. I can also assure you that we are working very hard to ensure it is ‘business as usual’ across the school and that there is no disruption to the children’s education.” The far-right campaigner Tommy Robinson became involved in the saga, claiming Jamal had previously attacked two schoolgirls. The EDL founder reposted a screenshot of a message on his Facebook page from a mother claiming her daughter had been bullied.
However, the mother later posted on Robinson’s page denying that it was Jamal who had allegedly attacked her daughter.
The claims by Robinson caused anger on social media. One person commented: “Tommy Robinson u r one dangerous individual and all your little sheep are no better. All you do is incite racial hatred!”
Akunjee said he was considering taking legal action against Robinson on the family’s behalf.
UK newsUK news
newsnews
Share on FacebookShare on Facebook
Share on TwitterShare on Twitter
Share via EmailShare via Email
Share on LinkedInShare on LinkedIn
Share on PinterestShare on Pinterest
Share on Google+Share on Google+
Share on WhatsAppShare on WhatsApp
Share on MessengerShare on Messenger
Reuse this contentReuse this content