A University of York student was punched several times and called a refugee on campus on September 4, causing bad bruising to the face.
The student, 30, has lived in York for the past two years since moving from Hong Kong.
They said they ‘have never experienced such a thing’ during their time in York.
He was applying for an alumni library card on campus when two men approached him. The student told The York Press that after being called a “refugee”, the student tried to defend himself. He said: “I’m not a refugee, I’m a student; I contribute to this city”.
The situation escalated, the student’s glasses were thrown into the campus lake, and one of the men proceeded to punch the student in the face several times. A PhD student saw the incident take place, and phoned campus security, who informed the police. The student was later checked at the hospital, with no broken bones, but badly bruised in the face with a tender eye.
The student told The York Press that he hopes he is the last person to witness an attack of this nature. He said: “It’s really upsetting because York is a safe city and we love it. That’s the reason I picked York to study.” He added that he hopes this does’t happen to any student again, saying “I hope I’m the last person who experiences an attack” of this nature.
The Raise of Colours campaign, a far-right initiative, has taken place throughout York in the past few weeks, with flags held across walkways between Campus East and West. In a recent Instagram Post, the University of York Student Union expressed its concerns with this. It has received feedback from many students who have said they feel unsafe. In the YUSU post, the Sabbatical Officers have said they are working hard to ensure the University of York and York itself remain “safe spaces filled with diversity and multiculturalism”. They are committing to disable flag-raising campaigns across campus and are involved in lobbying to support international students and immigrants.
A University of York spokesperson told The York Tab: “This is utterly indefensible and the way our community has rallied round just goes to show how we will stand together against such acts of aggression.
“We are grateful to the students, staff and our Campus Safety team who responded so quickly and came to the victim’s aid.
“In speaking out after the incident the victim has shown remarkable compassion and resilience, values that the whole community here at York share. Our work with the police will not stop until these individuals are caught and held accountable.”
North Yorkshire Police informed The York Press that they are working to identify those responsible. It asks that anyone with information regarding the incident should report to North Yorkshire Police by phoning 101, and quoting incident number 12250167483.
