Cops say this 3-on-1 teen brawl against Muslim girl was not racially motivated bullying
Yahoo Lifestyle Alex EriksenYahoo LifestyleDecember 24, 2017
Police are denying an attack on a 14-year-old Muslim girl, which was caught on video and went viral, was a hate crime, saying instead that it was over a boyfriend.
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A 14-year-old Muslim teen is recovering after receiving a savage beating at the hands of her peers. Video of the encounter is going viral.
According to police, Manaal Munshi went to a park in Boca Raton, Fla., earlier this week to try to work out her differences with another girl. When she arrived, she found a crowd of students and more than one girl waiting for her.
A video posted on Facebook already has well over 2 million views.
As the video begins, one girl already has Munshi by the hair, spinning her around and throwing punches. As Munshi falls to the ground more girls join in and begin pounding her with their fists. Shouts of “Beat her ass!” and “Pull her hair!” can be heard.
It’s unclear what caused the dispute, or if it was racially or religiously motivated, but an investigation has been launched. Police are denying the attack was a hate crime, saying instead that it was over a boyfriend.
22 Dec
I'm told this is in your town & that this young Muslim girl had been harassed for months before she was brutally assaulted here.
1. Why'd you allow this culture of Islamophobia to grow?
2. What are you going to do to hold those who assaulted her accountable? pic.twitter.com/feqJfNu2ki
PBSO
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@PBCountySheriff
This case is being investigated by a deputy in our West Boca District. Nothing at this time indicates a hate crime, it was apparently over a boyfriend. Our deputy will be following up with School Board to identify the multiple subjects in the video. Criminal charges are pending
12:06 PM - Dec 22, 2017
282 282 Replies 84 84 Retweets 477 477 likes
“At NO time was ‘race’ or ‘bullying’ ever discussed, determined or considered to have played a role in that altercation,” writes the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Department in another tweet:
PBSO
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@PBCountySheriff
PBSO is Investigating an Incident that took place in West Boca Raton where an altercation took place. Here is the press release:
1:56 PM - Dec 22, 2017
54 54 Replies 163 163 Retweets 194 194 likes
Munshi’s family disagrees, however. They say their daughter has been bullied in the past because of her faith and has been called names like “terrorist.”
“She has bruises on her face. One eye is black — neck, had nails, big nails, on her neck, and there are lots of big bumps on her face, her head,” the girl’s father, Shakeel Munshi, told NBC Miami in a FaceTime interview. “She used to say that they’re making fun of her … that she’s terrorist, kind of thing.”
The superintendent of the Palm Beach county school district, Dr. Robert Avossa, has weighed in, saying in a statement: “I am saddened by this senseless violence. I am further concerned about individuals who stood by to videotape the incident instead of coming to the assistance of their peer by calling 911. As a community, we cannot ever get to a place where we are passive bystanders of such acts. We must expect more from one another and certainly, I expect more from our students,” he said.
Munshi and the girl in the video are from two different schools, West Boca Raton High School and Olympic Heights High School, raising questions whether school rivalries were somehow involved.
The Center for American-Islamic Relations has called for a full investigation into the matter and has reached out to the Munshi family. “We called for a full investigation of these events precisely to clarify the circumstances under which this teenager was hanged [sic] up by other three females. That is why we prefer also the involvement of the State Attorney’s office on this matter,” a CAIR spokesman told Buzzfeed in an interview.
The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement posted on Facebook that a full investigation into the matter will be conducted with the school board.
Girl's attacked over a boy, not race, sheriff says
By: Hannah Winston, Palm Beach Post
Updated: Dec 23, 2017 - 6:55 PM
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PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. - The Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office is investigating the assaultof a high school student in suburban Boca Raton that was captured on video and has been viewed thousands of times on social media.
Investigators said one student from West Boca Raton High School and another from Olympic Heights High School agreed to meet at 2 p.m. about an unresolved dispute at South County Regional Park, north of Glades Road and west of State Road 7.
The video shows one girl attack another and bring her to the ground. Then, several girls gang up on the girl who is in a fetal position and beat her. A crowd gathers, and many of its members use their cellphones out to record the attack. At some point, another girl walks over and attempts to pull two of the girls off each other. Though they stop for a moment, two of the girls go back at her.
Not much can be heard in the video other than screams and one person telling someone to “pull her hair.”
The Sheriff’s Office has not identified the girl who was assaulted or her attackers.
One of the video’s of the fight has been viewed more than 72,000 times on Twitter. One of the people to share the video was Shaun King, a columnist for the online publication The Intercept. King directed his tweet at Boca Raton police -- who are not investigating the incident -- and said he “was told this is in your town and that this young Muslim girl had been harassed for months before she was brutally assaulted here.”
King asked why they allow “this culture of Islamophobia to grow.”
The Sheriff’s Office said they spoke with the mother of the girl who was beaten and “at NO time was race or bullying ever discussed, determined or considered to have played a role in the altercation.”
A man who identifies himself as the girl’s father posted the video on Facebook late Thursday and said his daughter was attacked because she was a Muslim. He said the girl had been bullied at school for her religion.
The video he posted was viewed more than 464,000 times as of Friday evening.
The Palm Beach Post called a telephone number listed for the father, but the person who answered the phone hung up. A text message was also sent to the same phone number, and the person on the other end identified himself as the girl’s uncle. The man, who did not give his name, said the family is “in deep shock.”
The Post made another attempt on a different telephone number listed for the father, but messages and phone calls were not answered. To protect the girl’s identity the Post is not identifying the girl’s father at this time.
King did not reply to either to Boca Raton police or the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office, which replied to his tweet. Boca Raton said it was not its case and the Sheriff’s Office said criminal charges are pending.
“Nothing at this time indicates a hate crime. It was apparently over a boyfriend,” the Sheriff’s Office told King on Twitter. “Our deputy will be following up with the School Board to identify the multiple subjects in the video.”
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