Four adolescent males have been apprehended for participating in the discrimination and harassment of an African American student that was recorded and circulated on social media.
The police in Cumbria stated that the pictures spreading on the internet were disgusting, and that the event in the Upperby neighborhood of Carlisle is being regarded as a hate-motivated offense.
The footage displays a young student being ridiculed, shoved, and hit by a Caucasian peer prior to being forced to kiss his footwear.
On Friday, an incident occurred and after the footage was widely circulated, the Cumbria police announced that a teenage boy had been apprehended in connection to a reported act of hate.
The force announced on Saturday afternoon that three additional boys were taken into custody.
The Cumbria police reported that officers were called on Friday night due to a report of a racially motivated hate incident. There were also concerns in the community after images were circulated on the internet.
Four teenage boys from Carlisle were arrested, with one being accused of committing racially aggravated physical harm and the other three being suspected of assisting in the act.
The police urged individuals to stop spreading the video due to the fact that arrests have already been made.
“We are very disturbed by the offensive content being shared online, which has caused both the public and our team at Cumbria Police to express shock and worry,” stated Superintendent Sarah Jones.
“We acknowledge that an event like this may cause worry for some, but we want to assure the community that we are treating this incident with utmost seriousness and have apprehended four individuals.”
Our law enforcement officials have maintained their efforts throughout the night and are currently conducting further investigations.
“As individuals have been taken into custody, we strongly advise against circulating the video in order to avoid obstructing any potential legal actions or disclosing the identities of the children involved.”
The police in Cumbria announced that they would be increasing their patrols in the city due to concerns expressed by the community.
Anti Racist Cumbria (ARC) acknowledged the circulation of a potentially inciting video depicting a violent racist hate crime, but cautioned against further sharing due to potential negative effects.
An Instagram post stated that certain spaces have shared a video without any content warning or consent. However, we have decided not to share the video.
“Anti Racist Cumbria are deeply saddened and outraged by the disgusting act of racism and violence against a Black local schoolboy in our community.
We want to express our heartfelt love and support to the boy and his family. We have contacted the Cumbria police to offer any assistance they may need. We have also heard from parents of Black and Brown students at the school who are understandably worried.
All children deserve to feel secure and valued and should not have to worry about being treated unfairly or experiencing violent acts because of their skin color, ethnicity, or any other personal trait. We want to emphasize that this is not an isolated event and does not occur without other contributing factors.
It emphasizes the critical importance of thorough education on anti-racism and the implementation of efforts to tackle and ultimately eradicate the underlying reasons for racism. We urge educators, parents, and community leaders to make anti-racism a top priority in our schools, our communities, and beyond.
“I fully support the actions taken by Carlisle police against racial hatred and abuse, and I will continue to work with them on this issue,” stated John Stevenson, Member of Parliament for Carlisle.
Authorities are urging individuals with any relevant details to reach out to law enforcement at 101.
Source: theguardian.com
