A Jewish Israeli teenage girl was thrown to the ground and pummeled by another student in the Canadian province of New Brunswick on April 30, according to B'nai Brith Canada, which called the incident a "vicious physical assault."
Fourteen-year-old Shaked Tsurkan was attacked from behind by what appeared to be a Muslim student who also attended Leo Hayes High School in Fredericton.
Footage of the incident, which occurred during lunchtime off school premises, showed other students watching and filming with their phones as the attacker climbed on Tsurkan, grabbed her hair and punched her repeatedly in the face. Tsurkan attempted to fight back against the attacker.When a 14-year-old Israeli student was attacked, unprovoked, at a New Brunswick public school, her family turned to B'nai Brith Canada for help. We acted immediately, reporting the incident to the authorities and are working with the victim’s family in seeking justice.This… pic.twitter.com/KZWsvHCmV5
— B'nai Brith Canada (@bnaibrithcanada) May 15, 2024
Bystander accuses victim of instigating fight
An older man with an accent, who interfered only after watching for a few moments, accused Tsurkan of initiating the fight.
"That's enough," said that man. "Why did you assault her?"
B'nai Brith Canada Director of Research and Advocacy Richard Robertson said that Tsurkan was left deeply traumatized and injured by the incident.
“This incident is another grim testament to the pervasive culture of antisemitism the Jewish community is enduring across Canada today,” said Robertson. "Our leaders must act now to confront this scourge of hate.”
Robertson said that the organization B'nai Brith immediately contacted Tsurkan's family and aided in reporting the incident to the authorities and working to seek justice.
"This incident underscores why it’s crucial to report acts of violence and hate to B’nai Brith so that we can achieve consequences against the perpetrators," said B'nai Brith, urging others to contact them if they are victimized.
Leo Hayes did not immediately respond to requests for comment.