A video circulating online of a teenager being bullied at a school in the UK has sparked fury around the world.
While any footage of bullying in schools is distressing to watch, this footage has struck a nerve with people across the globe, because the victim in the video is a Syrian refugee.
The shocking incident, which was filmed at Almondbury Community School in northern England, has been investigated by police and the 16-year-old alleged bully is currently awaiting a court date to face assault charges, according to police.
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A protest was held outside the school on Thursday (local time) as around 30 people voiced concern about the viral footage of the refugee being bullied, the Mirror reports.
The video, posted to social media, shows 15-year-old Jamal walking across a school field, as a group of boys close in behind him. It's the beginning of an incident that would shape the future of two teenage boys' lives.
One of those boys is the 16-year-old wearing a blue sweater in the footage.
"Hey, Jamal, come here!" he yells across the field, as a comrade walks beside him.
A few metres ahead, Jamal keeps walking, before turning around calmly to face the bully. His arm is in a cast from what's understood to be a previous "incident" in the school playground.
"What are you saying now then?" the bully says to Jamal, who doesn't say anything.
"What are you saying now then? What are you saying now then?" the bully keeps saying to Jamal, before grabbing his neck, twisting him around and pushing him to the ground.
"What are you saying now then, eh?" the bully repeats.
But Jamal doesn't answer the question, as he can no longer give it. The boy in the blue sweater has a hand around his throat and pours water from a bottle onto Jamal's face.
"I'll drown you, you little bastard, I'll drown you!" he shouts as Jamal coughs and sputters.
In the final scene of the footage, Jamal can be seen breaking free from the bully and walking away from the heckling boys.
The dignity he shows as he walks away has earned him respect from people in high places.
"To the Syrian refugee - I say sorry," said Tobias Ellwood, a member of Parliament, on Twitter. "It's not the welcoming, friendly Britain we are supposed to be."
Jamal told ITV he "felt ashamed" when he realised the video had gone viral on social media, which has since been shared hundreds of thousands of times.
"I woke up and just started crying," he said. "They think I'm different - different from them."
But Jamal has plenty of support. A fundraising page has been set up on GoFundMe by local resident Mohammed Tahir, which has since risen over NZ$266,000 for the teenager.
"I plan to add Jamal's relevant guardians as the beneficiaries of the total funds," Mr Tahir says of Jamal's family, who fled their Syrian hometown Homs.
"We want to raise money for the family to ease their situation and hopefully they can use the funds to help improve their quality of life and to put a smile on their faces.
"Having left a war torn country, the least they deserve is to live in peace without being harassed."
Jamal spent nearly half his teenage life as a refugee in Lebanon, the Washington Post reports. Now, his family may have to flee again as violence creeps back into their lives.
Another video aired by ITV shows a girl in a pink hijab being shoved by two students at the same school, which is also being investigated by police.
It's understood the girl in the video is Jamal's younger sister.
Newshub.
