More details are emerging of an attack on a middle aged Indian gentleman and a female in St Luke’s shopping mall early last month.

The assailants are alleged to be two female pupils from Mount Albert Grammar School, aged 13 and 14. Surveillance cameras caught the two thugs beating up the man and kicking him in the head on a concrete stairway. His distraught young daughter could only look on and fear for the life of her father.

The girls had been involved in violent incidents before and, even though the assaults took place off school property, they have been expelled from Mount Albert Grammar.

At last! It is pleasing to see a school taking firm action on thuggish behaviour and expelling the perpetrators. If one school can do it, why can’t others do the same? (also see South African teen bullied at Mount Roskill Grammar)

Yahoo.nz News reported

The school’s board of trustees chairman, Greg Moyle, confirmed today that the 13 and 14-year-old students had been barred from attending the school. However, because of their age, the school legally has to find places for them at another school. The younger of the two had been at the school for only five weeks.

Mr Moyle said the girls were in school uniform when they attacked a man at the St Lukes Shopping Mall, kicking him in the head as his daughter looked on…more here

Yahoo readers responded to the report, one said

“There is more to this than bullying – the poor shooper (victim) was also targeted based upon his Indian race… guess if media (TV personalities like Paul Henry) can get away with racism and abuse a nation on government run TV, and then get a job again after 5 months to again start their racial rant on another channel!!… then my questioin is who are you media people to report such abuse …. Doh!!! Bullying starts from the media (verbal) and then percolates down to the school kids to become…

Principal Dale Burden carried out his own investigation and said the attack was not racially motivated. It is not known whether the police agree with his conclusion, nor are the public likely to be told if they do:  NZ police do not collect data on racially motivated crimes, despite recommendations in the United Nations  Periodic Review of New Zealand and the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.

“.. Dale Burden says the attacks were random and not race-related. “Nothing from my investigation suggests that at all. I don’t think race had anything to do with it at all quite frankly,” Burden told Close Up.

In one of the assaults, the girls beat a man as his young daughter looked on. The second attack was on a female shopper…” more here

This wasn’t the only time these two girls had been involved in fights in St Lukes Mall

A person who saw the fight told the Herald on Sunday: “They just started jumping on each other. One of the girls ripped another girl’s shirt, so she was fighting in her bra. They ripped out chunks of hair.”

After the incidents, Westfield imposed a temporary ban on Mt Albert Grammar students in uniform visiting St Lukes mall…” more here

Level Of Criminal Assaults By Children In NZ “No Surprise”

Violence among school aged children is exploding in New Zealand and unfortunately it sometimes invovles the children of immigrants.

Lost among the hype of New Zealand’s recently released 2010 crime figures were some shocking data about child violence. The stats make for grim reading as they come at a time when schoolyard bullying and violent  assaults are frequently in the New Zealand news.

Police crime statistics showed the number of children under 9 apprehended for assaults in 2010 was 64, almost double the 33 recorded in 2009.

Assaults in the 10-13 age group also rose, with 827 apprehensions in 2010, compared to 770 in 2009. The majority of offenders were boys. Read Crime shock: NZ’s little thugs on the NZ Herald’s site.

Some other posts about racism in New Zealand

India’s High Commission Disgusted At Racist Attack In Hastings, NZ

Racist Street Attack In Christchurch

Discrimination Against Asians Still A Key Issue In New Zealand – Updated