School tells Muslim girls it’s ‘not safe’ for them

Three young Muslim girls at the centre of a racial bullying row have been told by their north Belfast school it is “not safe” for them to return.

The children, aged under 16, have not been back to the Belfast Model School for Girls since an alleged assault there in November.

Complaints were made about the girls to police, who are now investigating the incident as a hate crime.

A statement from the board of governors of the school said "the safety and wellbeing of all our students remains our highest priority".

A friend of the girls’ parents said the situation had been “switched” to make them look like “bad people”.

They told BBC News NI that one of the girls had been defending herself when the alleged assault occurred.

They said the incident had resulted in false claims online that have left the children “traumatised” and too scared to leave the house.

Two of the young girls were briefly suspended, while the third remained off amid safety concerns.

BBC News NI has seen evidence that the Girls Model subsequently advised that the children do not return to the school “in the interest of their own safety”.

This has left them feeling “unprotected, isolated, and left alone”, according to the friend.

In its statement, the school's board of governors said it is continuing to work with the Education Authority (EA).

“Whilst we cannot discuss individual students, we remain firmly committed to providing a safe, inclusive, and diverse environment where all students are happy, learning, and succeeding," it continued.

“We would ask the local community for their support so that we can continue to provide a safe learning environment for our students and staff."

A spokesperson for the EA, which manages and funds the school, confirmed it was “working closely” with the school following the recent incident.

“Staff from a range of services have been and continue to provide specialist advice and support,” they said.

“The priority is to ensure that all pupils feel safe and welcome to attend school so they can continue to learn in an inclusive environment.”

About 200 parents protested at the school following the incident.

They told BBC News NI at the time that they were concerned for their children’s safety.

Claims were made online that schoolchildren were being targeted by Muslim girls.

Some social media users claimed that Muslim girls at the school acted as a “gang” and that they had a “hit list” of “local” girls; that they had been attacking teachers; and that knives were brought to the school.

There were also calls in the comments for “ethnic cleansing” in the area.

In an attempt to reassure parents, school principal Paula Stuart confirmed at the time that “PSNI were onsite to view CCTV and that no knives were involved”.

She described online claims as “inaccurate” and appealed for “support in helping to stop the spread of misinformation”.

The friend, who was speaking anonymously due to concerns for their own safety, said prior to the incident at the school, the girls claimed to have experienced racial bullying.

“Hitting on the shoulder, calling names, calling them monkey, calling them black, saying they’re here for the money of this country – benefits – and asking them to go back to their country,” they said.

“Pulling their hijabs, calling their hijabs ugly, and calling them ugly. They felt very, very isolated. Fearful.”

The friend said one of the girls had been defending herself when another child was hurt in the alleged assault, which happened on 12 November.

Police Supt Allister Hagan confirmed enquiries were continuing.

“Officers continue to liaise with key stakeholders in relation to this matter,” he said.

“No arrests have been made in relation to the incident, which is being treated as a hate crime.”

North Belfast DUP MLA Brian Kingston said it was "not helpful to have speculation promoted on various forms of media without full access to the facts".

“It is important that these relevant authorities continue to carry out a thorough investigation in order to get to the truth of what has occurred.

"The school has emphasised that pupil safety is their top priority. It is important that appropriate action, including disciplinary action, is taken in response to any proven incidents of bullying which must not be tolerated."

Separately, BBC News NI understands that police are investigating a potential link between the incident at the school and a report that a brick was thrown through the window of a property close to where the three Muslim girls live.

It’s understood that is also being treated as a hate crime.

“These are children – very young children. They had all this confusion. ‘Are we safe? Are these people going to come to our house? Are other Muslim girls safe?’” the friend said.

“They felt as though their world in Northern Ireland has just finished.

“Their mental health is affected by this so badly that they can’t sleep at night.

“They haven’t left their door. It’s just unbelievable, unimaginable for young people like that to be locked in in fear when the rest of the world is going on.”

One of the girls, who has been identified on social media as the perpetrator of the alleged assault, now wants to change her name.

“They are worried. They’re wondering why there is no protection in place for them,” the friend added.

“These are young girls, their names have been mentioned.

"Even the other girls whose parents are [making claims]—their names are all over social media.

"It’s just not safe for any child to be in that kind of intensity of misinformation.”

Daniel Holder, director of the Committee on the Administration of Justice, told BBC News NI that some posts on social media had been “toxic” and “racist”.

He said incidents happen at schools all the time, but this particular one was escalated due to misinformation online.

“It’s underpinned by the usual false claims and stereotypes – false claims about gangs, false claims about terror, false claims about knives – and that in itself feeds a climate where minorities are more likely to be victimised, more likely to be targeted, and more likely to be attacked,” he said.

“It’s a far-right trope to collectively demonise a community and present them as a threat, but obviously different people will pick up misinformation, and some people will think it’s true. And that is extremely risky.”