A 13-year-old boy is accused of stabbing a pupil in the neck with a kitchen knife in front of numerous children in a north-west London classroom, a court has heard.

The child sustained three stab wounds, a spinal fracture and injuries to the neck and hands that required surgery, Westminster Magistrates’ Court was told on Thursday.

The former pupil is accused of stabbing another child in the playground and spraying ant spray in the face of a third, during the incident at Kingsbury High School, Brent, on Tuesday.

Less than a minute passed between the first and second knife attacks, the court heard.

The defendant filmed the entire attack on his mobile phone but there is no suggestion it was uploaded to social media, the hearing was told.

The teenager, who has not been named because of his age, appeared in court on Thursday wearing a grey prison-issue tracksuit.

Two family members sat on the seats in front of the dock and the defendant spoke softly to confirm his name and date of birth.

He is accused of the attempted murder of two boys aged 12 and 13, and unlawfully and maliciously administering a noxious thing to a third child.

The boy has also been charged with possession of a knife on school premises without good reason or lawful authority.

Chief Magistrate Paul Goldspring remanded him into a youth detention facility to appear at the Old Bailey on February 27.

Prosecutor Kathryn Selby told the hearing that at just gone midday, the boy arrived at the classroom door carrying ant spray and the knife.

He allegedly sprayed the ant spray in a child’s face before stabbing the other boy, the prosecution said.

Numerous children and a teacher were present, the court heard.

Ms Selby said he then walked downstairs and stabbed another child in the neck in a playground area, leaving a 3cm wound.

The conditions of two alleged stab victims are not thought to be life-threatening but whether they are life-changing is uncertain, the prosecution said.

The defendant was at large for around three hours before being arrested near a mosque.

Temporary Commander Helen Flanagan, from Counter Terrorism Policing London, said: “These are extremely serious charges against a young boy and we continue to support the victims and their families, as well as the wider school community, following this shocking incident.

“While we have now charged the boy with these offences, our investigation is ongoing and detectives will continue to carry out inquiries in the local area.

“We are working closely with local policing colleagues in the Brent area and I would also like to thank the school and the wider local community for their support in recent days.”

A spokesperson for the Crown Prosecution Service said: “Our prosecutors have worked to establish that there is sufficient evidence to bring this case to court and that it is in the public interest to pursue criminal proceedings.

“We have worked closely with the police as they have carried out their investigation.

“We remind all concerned that criminal proceedings against this defendant are active and that he has the right to a fair trial.

“It is vital that there should be no reporting, commentary or sharing of information online which could in any way prejudice these proceedings.”

It would be foolhardy to state that recent events of anti-Muslim abuse on buses in London have not had an impact on Muslim communities in the capital and beyond. They have and given the way that the material has been shared online, the comments and the videos of the abuse have sickened many who saw the hate meted out by members of Black and Minority Ethnic communities against others.

One victim was a Turkish male who had a disability and whose walking frame was flung onto the pavement by the young perpetrator, as he walked off pushing his young child in front of him in a pushchair. The second victim was a Moroccan female with a Hijab (headscarf), who was visiting London and here to meet relatives in the capital. One only shudders to think about the kind of impression the female will have of our capital after the events of the last week, though we can take solace in the fact that our police acted decisively and quickly on both cases. Arrests were made and charges have followed.

Yet, given the sickening comments and levels of aggression shown, it is important to always contextualise the fact that we live in one of the safest capitals in the world. Compared to Europe, our country is streaks ahead in tackling racism and prejudice and in work around tackling hate crimes. Granted, there is a lot to be done, no-one can deny that and we are at the coal-face of the work, but when you compare it to some European Union countries who officially state that they have no hate crimes in their countries, you start to realise that we are lucky to live here on our tiny island.

We are also aware that there are some Muslim females who have contacted us to say that they are fearful of going outside of their homes to do their daily activities. To them we say this. By changing your daily lives, you are allowing the perpetrators to affect you and to control your lives and your activities. The only way to break cycles of abuse is to do the opposite to the fear that they bring on. In this instance, we urge individuals to get on with their daily lives and hold onto the fact that our capital is a beacon of hope, safety and security in this continent. Only be challenging our own private fears, can we truly realise our potential.

The post We Understand the Fears in Muslim Communities, But Our Country is Still One of the Safest appeared first on TELL MAMA.

If you thought that individuals from Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) communities did not get involved in bigotry – think again! This video has come to light of a woman from a BME community group who spouts anti-Muslim bigotry and which is overheard by individuals and families on this bus. It is a truly shocking incident and shows the worst of humanity.

We hear regularly about issues on public transport that lead to anti-Muslim bigotry being promoted, yet seeing this on camera still brings a chill to the viewer. The most depressing thing about such material is that the perpetrator has probably suffered bigotry and prejudice in her life at some time, yet she is now involved in promoting it against these women who wear the Islamic headscarf or Hijab. The full video can be viewed below.

The post Anti-Muslim Bigotry – Caught on Camera appeared first on TELL MAMA.