UK: Outpouring of support for Syrian refugee a 'reminder of how people can answer violence with compassion'

Responding to the violent attack against a 15-year-old Syrian refugee at a school in Huddersfield last month and an outpouring of public support for him, Kate Allen, Amnesty International UK's Director, said:

“This disturbing attack has at once shown the worst and best of us.

“Attacks against refugees and migrants are abhorrent and threaten the fabric of our society. But the widespread disgust at the incident and the outpouring of sympathy for the schoolboy has been truly heart-warming and is a reminder of how people can answer violence with compassion.

“We all have a part to play in standing up against attacks like this and showing the world that so many people in the UK want this country to be an open, tolerant and welcoming society.”