FOREIGN students are being attacked by gangs of Scarborough youths who view them as "easy targets".
The director of a town language school says young visitors are regularly being beaten up by gangs of thugs.
Voyin Maric, director of English Venture, based in The Crescent, has now sent a letter to host parents asking them to collect their guests
on a night. He wrote: "During the past 10 days our pupils have been involved in four separate violent incidents. Other language schools are experiencing similar occurrences."
Mr Maric wrote that the worst incident happened last Wednesday when one of his school's leaders was the victim of a prolonged 15-minute attack.
"He was pushed, punched, kicked and spat upon. There were approximately 16 drunken youths involved in the racially motivated attack. This was all witnessed by our group who simply could not believe what they were seeing. The youths attacked our leader believing he was German."
Mr Maric added in his letter that five of the yobs were later arrested by police. He wrote: "The pattern is always the same. Overseas pupils are approached by local youths demanding money and cigarettes.
When the youths are refused or ignored they quickly follow their demands with physical violence. Often the pupils are targeted in busy populated areas, and then followed into quieter darker streets on their way home before being assaulted."
One host parent, who gave the letter to the Evening News and wished to remain anonymous, told the Evening News: "The student that is with me at the moment came home with the letter and I was absolutely incensed when I read it. Only the other day one of the group she is visiting with was attacked by some youths on the North Bay beach and ended up with a cut lip.
Attacks are very common – the students do talk about this quite a lot. "As someone who hosts students I think it's an absolute disgrace that they can't walk Scarborough's streets in safety."
A spokesman for Scarborough police said: "Attacks on foreign students, like any sort of assault, are completely unacceptable.
Scarborough police will not tolerate incidents of this nature. Anyone with information about incidents of this nature should contact Scarborough police on 0845 6060247 or call Crimestoppers in confidence on 0800 551111."
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