School tells Muslim girls it’s ‘not safe’ for them

Three young Muslim girls astatine the centre of a radical bullying enactment person been told by their northbound Belfast schoolhouse it is “not safe” for them to return.

The children, aged nether 16, person not been backmost to the Belfast Model School for Girls since an alleged battle determination successful November.

A connection from the committee of governors of the schoolhouse said "the information and wellbeing of each our students remains our highest priority".

Complaints were made concerning the girls to police, who are present investigating the incidental arsenic a hatred crime.

A person of the girls’ parents said the concern had been “switched” to marque them look similar “bad people”.

They told BBC News NI that 1 of the girls had been defending herself erstwhile the alleged battle occurred.

They said the incidental had resulted successful mendacious claims online that person near the children “traumatised” and excessively frightened to permission the house.

Two of the young girls were concisely suspended, portion the 3rd remained disconnected amid information concerns.

BBC News NI has seen grounds that the Girls Model subsequently advised that the children bash not instrumentality to the schoolhouse “in the involvement of their ain safety”.

This has near them feeling “unprotected, isolated, and near alone”, according to the friend.

In its statement, the school's committee of governors said it is continuing to enactment with the Education Authority (EA).

“Whilst we cannot sermon idiosyncratic students, we stay firmly committed to providing a safe, inclusive, and divers situation wherever each students are happy, learning, and succeeding," it continued.

“We would inquire the section assemblage for their enactment truthful that we tin proceed to supply a harmless learning situation for our students and staff."

A spokesperson for the EA, which manages and funds the school, confirmed it was “working closely” with the schoolhouse pursuing the caller incident.

“Staff from a scope of services person been and proceed to supply specializer proposal and support,” they said.

“The precedence is to guarantee that each pupils consciousness harmless and invited to be schoolhouse truthful they tin proceed to larn successful an inclusive environment.”

About 200 parents protested astatine the schoolhouse pursuing the incident.

They told BBC News NI astatine the clip that they were concerned for their children’s safety.

Claims were made online that schoolchildren were being targeted by Muslim girls.

Some societal media users claimed that Muslim girls astatine the schoolhouse acted arsenic a “gang” and that they had a “hit list” of “local” girls; that they had been attacking teachers; and that knives were brought to the school.

There were besides calls successful the comments for “ethnic cleansing” successful the area.

In an effort to reassure parents, schoolhouse main Paula Stuart confirmed astatine the clip that “PSNI were onsite to presumption CCTV and that nary knives were involved”.

She described online claims arsenic “inaccurate” and appealed for “support successful helping to halt the dispersed of misinformation”.

The friend, who was speaking anonymously owed to concerns for their ain safety, said anterior to the incidental astatine the school, the girls claimed to person experienced radical bullying.

“Hitting connected the shoulder, calling names, calling them monkey, calling them black, saying they’re present for the wealth of this state – benefits – and asking them to spell backmost to their country,” they said.

“Pulling their hijabs, calling their hijabs ugly, and calling them ugly. They felt very, precise isolated. Fearful.”

The person said 1 of the girls had been defending herself erstwhile different kid was wounded successful the alleged assault, which happened connected 12 November.

Police Supt Allister Hagan confirmed enquiries were continuing.

“Officers proceed to liaise with cardinal stakeholders successful narration to this matter,” helium said.

“No arrests person been made successful narration to the incident, which is being treated arsenic a hatred crime.”

Separately, BBC News NI understands that constabulary are investigating a imaginable nexus betwixt the incidental astatine the schoolhouse and a study that a ceramic was thrown done the model of a spot adjacent to wherever the 3 Muslim girls live.

It’s understood that is besides being treated arsenic a hatred crime.

“These are children – precise young children. They had each this confusion. ‘Are we safe? Are these radical going to travel to our house? Are different Muslim girls safe?’” the person said.

“They felt arsenic though their satellite successful Northern Ireland has conscionable finished.

“Their intelligence wellness is affected by this truthful severely that they can’t slumber astatine night.

“They haven’t near their door. It’s conscionable unbelievable, unimaginable for young radical similar that to beryllium locked successful in fearfulness erstwhile the remainder of the satellite is going on.”

One of the girls, who has been identified connected societal media arsenic the perpetrator of the alleged assault, present wants to alteration her name.

“They are worried. They’re wondering wherefore determination is nary extortion successful spot for them,” the person added.

“These are young girls, their names person been mentioned.

"Even the different girls whose parents are [making claims]—their names are each implicit societal media.

"It’s conscionable not harmless for immoderate kid to beryllium successful that benignant of strength of misinformation.”

Daniel Holder, manager of the Committee connected the Administration of Justice, told BBC News NI that immoderate posts connected societal media had been “toxic” and “racist”.

He said incidents hap astatine schools each the time, but this peculiar 1 was escalated owed to misinformation online.

“It’s underpinned by the accustomed mendacious claims and stereotypes – mendacious claims astir gangs, mendacious claims astir terror, mendacious claims astir knives – and that successful itself feeds a clime wherever minorities are much apt to beryllium victimised, much apt to beryllium targeted, and much apt to beryllium attacked,” helium said.

“It’s a far-right trope to collectively demonise a assemblage and contiguous them arsenic a threat, but evidently antithetic radical volition prime up misinformation, and immoderate radical volition deliberation it’s true. And that is highly risky.”