UK police arrest two teens over 'racially aggravated' coronavirus attack

UK police say two boys have been arrested following an assault on a Singaporean student in which the attackers allegedly referred to the coronavirus.

Two teens have been arrested.

Two teens have been arrested. Source: Met Police

British police say they have arrested two teenage boys after a racist attack on a student from Singapore amid a spate of incidents linked to the spread of the coronavirus.

The two boys were arrested "on suspicion of racially aggravated assault" after the late-night attack in central London's busy Oxford Street, the Metropolitan Police said.

A 16-year-old suspect was released "under investigation" while a 15-year-old was released on bail, the police said, adding that inquiries were continuing.
The police said on Wednesday that they were seeking four suspects.

The victim, Jonathan Mok, 23, posted an account on Facebook on Monday, saying one of his attackers told him: "I don't want your coronavirus in my country."

The police said Mr Mok was "punched, kicked, and sustained facial injuries".

"This attack left the victim shaken and hurt," Detective Sergeant Emma Kirby said.

"There's no room on our streets for this kind of violent behaviour and we are committed to finding the perpetrators."

Mr Mok noted that racist assaults against Asian people had "been on the rise" in recent weeks.

"Personally, I have experienced several racist statements directed to me in the past weeks, some involving references to the coronavirus," Mr Mok wrote.

"To those people who told me that London isn't racist, think again," he said.

Share
2 min read

Published

Updated



Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world