Sister of Syrian refugee boy Jamal also attacked at same Huddersfield school

The younger sister of a Syrian refugee assaulted in a Huddersfield school has also been attacked on camera.

Film of the attack on the girl, also at Almondbury Community School, shows her being shoved from behind by one girl before another chases her down a grass bank as she backs away, eventually falling to the ground.

At the beginning of the video the person filming it can be heard laughing and saying, “alright, go for it.”

In a statement, West Yorkshire Police said: “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 family’s lawyer, Tasnime Akunjee, said it is the boy’s 14-year-old sister and she was attacked on Tuesday morning.

The Syrian boy, Jamal, being attacked

The emergence of the video follows the widely shared footage of the assault on her 15-year-old brother, in which he was seen being dragged to the ground by his neck and having water poured over his face by a 16-year-old boy.

The older boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, is to be charged with assault.

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Police have appealed to members of the public not to share footage of the alleged assault of the boy on social media as it could prejudice criminal proceedings.

The attack has prompted an outpouring of anger and sympathy for the Syrian boy and his relatives, with well-wishers so far donating more than £132,000 for the family on a crowdfunding page.

The family is believed to have fled the Syrian city of Homs, the location of a three-year siege by the Syrian military, between 2011 and 2014.

Meanwhile, Trevor Bowen, the headteacher at Almondbury Community School, has written to parents saying the safety and welfare of students is the school’s number one priority and  that the situation is being taken extremely seriously.

He wrote: “The matter is subject to an ongoing police investigation and, as I am sure you understand, we must be guided by the authorities in the amount of detail we are able to provide. However, I can confirm we are working with the police to support their enquiries.

“Since the incident occurred in October, the school, the local authority and the police have all taken action. 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 wellbeing of students is of paramount importance to us and a high level of support is available to anyone who may need it.”

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SOURCEThe Independent
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