Please be advised, Inquisitr readers, that the attached footage is mildly offensive and disturbing. Proceed at your own risk.
Police from Antrim, Ireland have uncovered the identities of three teen boys who filmed their racially-motivated attack on a Romanian woman, so says ITV .
Video of the encounter, which circulated Facebook throughout the weekend and has since gone viral, display the assailants antagonizing the foreigner as she attempts to pick up her child at a nearby school. As she passes by the boys, they begin hurling rocks and stones at her back.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aep18yijmiM
“Why are you attacking a girl,” she politely inquires. “Why are you doing this?”
One of the young men crudely responds, “You’re not a girl. You’re an immigrant, and you shouldn’t be in this country. Do you have a visa to stay here?”
? VIDEO: Antrim police are investigating after a video of teenagers abusing a Romanian woman was posted online https://t.co/WNVhCqXGtc pic.twitter.com/oiAyms5GAK
— Irish Times Video (@irishtimesvideo) October 3, 2016
As most of the gang laughs at the demeaning inquiry, another one follows it up with, “Do you have a passport?”
When the woman reveals that she does, he demands to see the document.
“Come on then,” the Antrim teen insists, “let’s see it.”
“I don’t have my bag with me,” the woman says, which then causes one of the young men to mock her noticeable accent. Things only get worse once they discover what the victim’s native homeland is.
“Where are you from,” one of the Antrim boys ask.
“Romania,” the woman expresses.
“Oh, my god,” another of the teens say. “[She’s a] suicide bomber!”
“We don’t like Romanians,” adds someone else off-screen.
Clearly having enough of their shenanigans, the Romanian transplant begins to walk away, stating that if the boys don’t like her, they should leave her alone.
“Okay, turn around now,” the leader of the pack states. “I’m going to hit you with a brick when you turn around.”
Although he fails to find such an item, he does pick up another small rock to hurl at the woman’s back as she departs the area.
Once the video, which was seen more than four million times on Facebook alone, made its way to the Antrim Police Service of Northern Ireland, an investigation into those involved in the attack quickly began. Within hours into the search, Chief Inspector Arthur Davidson relayed to the Daily Express that the three main juveniles involved in the hate crime were found.
“At this stage, we have identified the three boys involved and arrangements will be made to speak to them formally over the next few days,” he stated.
Unfortunately, while the trio of bullies were easily discovered, the identity of the assaulted Romanian woman was not so easy to figure out, partially due to her choosing not to publicly step forward at this time.
“We are also working to identify the victim in order to ensure she is offered every support as we move forward with our investigation,” Davidson continued.
Under the promise of anonymity, the Romanian woman did speak to BBC News to explain that she was doing alright following the unlawful confrontation.
“I feel OK,” she expressed, “it’s [all] OK now. I’m [still] here, my son is at school, [and] my husband is [at work].”
She also shared that despite the hateful mindset of the boys from Antrim, she wasn’t planning on going back to Romania anytime soon.
“I like it here because my family’s [here with me],” she acknowledged.
Alliance Antrim Councillor Neil Kelly openly hoped that those who weren’t natives to Ireland wouldn’t see the boys’ actions as a deeper truth held by those who live in the town that he watches over.
“This is not reflective of the vast majority of people in Antrim, who are welcoming and friendly to all,” he said. “I hope she is OK after this incident and does not judge everybody in this town by the disgraceful actions of a few.”
[Featured Image by Elign Design Services LLC/iStock]
