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Report on Skinhead Attack
On Saturday 25th of March Md. Saiful Isalm, a 4th year Bangladeshi student from Saint Petersburg State Academy of Paediatric Medicine, became the latest causality in the on-going wave of Skinhead violence towards foreigners in the city. The fatal incident occurred outside Lesnaya Metro station at around 15:30 in the afternoon, when Saiful was on his way home from the city centre. As he came out of the station he was confronted by the racial abuse of 7 or 8 young people, half of them dressed in black Army Boots and with shaved heads. One of them hit Saiful on the back, and, sensing trouble, he broke into a run and tried to escape. Unfortunately he was not so lucky. He was chased down by the group and one of the hooligans hit him with a sharp instrument that missed his right eye by just half an inch, whilst the others proceeded to punch him brutally in the face. He cried for help but nobody, including two policemen standing nearby, responded. (15:30 - On Duty in the Metro Station area.). Overwhelmed by the force of the attack and outnumbered by the attackers, Saiful fell down; nonetheless the brutal animals kept kicking his face, head and stomach. Within seconds he lost consciousness. When he woke up he found himself in a pool of his own blood. Around the corner he saw the two policemen standing with the one of the boys from the group who had hit him first. He was chatting with them. Somehow Saiful managed to reach the policemen and asked them to help him. He was barely able to keep straight on his own and was bleeding severely, and yet the policemen refused to help him and told him to leave the place immediately (‘idi otsuda!’). When he stated his intention to report the incident they refused to cooperate. Instead, they did a full document check on him while the poor man was hardly able to stand on his feet. After that they again ordered him to leave the vicinity. When two young girls from the nearby hostel of the Medical Academy came to help Saiful, they too were ordered to leave at once, and being afraid of police harassment they reluctantly left the scene. The bleeding Saiful then tried to find his way home. A pedestrian showed him the nearby police booth, but when, after a great effort, he managed to reach it, the woman who was on duty at the time told him that she couldn''t take his application because it was Saturday, suggesting that he go instead to 20th Otdeleniya (Police Station) which is near Vyborgsky Metro Station. After such a brutal attack and total lack of cooperation from the supposed keepers of law and order, poor Saiful made his way to his nearby flat from where, with the help of a neighbour, he telephoned the emergency services and they took him to the hospital. He is currently being treated in the 2nd City Hospital in Uchebni Pereulok. He has had stitches inside his mouth and near the eyebrow, his face has been left severely swollen and disfigured and he can hardly open his right eye. Needless to say he is therefore in great pain. The doctor has said that he has to remain there under observation for a week. |
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