This video shows an Islamophobic attack on a Syrian refugee schoolboy in the UK

A video circulated on Twitter has shown a young Syrian refugee, Jamal, being violently attacked by a fellow student. The video shows Jamal being tackled, choked, and ‘waterboarded’ with a bottle of water by the student, as onlookers stand by and watch. Jamals attacker is a supporter of a number of far-right groups in the UK, including Britain First and the English Defence League. His brother was arrested and imprisoned in 2015 for violence during an English Defence League demonstration. One of the most tragic things about the incident is Jamal and his family’s background. Originally from Homs, Syria, Jamal’s family was targeted by the Assad regime with kidnappings, torture and murder, before fleeing to Lebanon and living in poverty. They eventually were able to resettle in the UK, where within months of joining their new school, Jamal and his sister began being bullied. A GoFundMe campaign has been set up to support Jamal and his family as they struggle to deal with the attacks and abuse.