A Chinese teenager was left injured and traumatized after being knocked down by a woman during an unprovoked attack in the U.K.
The incident: The victim, a 19-year-old female student from Sheffield University, was out shopping for the first time in a year when she was attacked by a woman in Sheffield City Centre at around 3 p.m. on April 25, The Star reported.
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- The teenager was outside Boots on Fargate when a woman allegedly demanded to know if she was Chinese before hitting her in the face and pulling her by the hair to the ground. A witness intervened and stopped the suspect.
- A Sheffield University staff member who was injured during the incident along with the Sheffield Chinese Student and Scholars Association (CSSA) brought the teenager to a hospital where she received treatment for eye injuries, according to Shef News.
- “It is unbelievable that such cruel racist abuse happened at such a place and time,” the victim was quoted as saying. “I hope my experience can make more people aware of the seriousness of racial discrimination. I don’t want this kind of incident to happen again.”
- The case is reportedly being investigated as a hate crime.
The response: According to The Star, the incident went viral in China after it was shared on “thousands of student chat rooms and social media,” with some users warning against studying in Sheffield.
- The Chinese community in Sheffield, which condemned the attack as “unacceptable,” has called for a campaign to stop racially motivated attacks in the city.
- Community leader Jerry Cheung said there have been numerous attacks targeting Asians last year, noting that they now need “people who run the city to say it won’t be tolerated.”
- According to Cheung, there are 6,000 Chinese students in the city, contributing around £200 million ($280 million) to the economy each year.
- Cheung has reached out to universities and intends to involve the council, students and police in a coordinated effort to prevent racially motivated incidents.
Last year, NextShark reported a similar unprovoked attack on a female student from Sheffield University who was verbally and physically assaulted by a group of people for wearing a protective face mask.
Featured Image via Shef News
