A St. Petersburg schoolboy was brutally beaten in a school toilet due to having an Israeli flag as his profile picture. The incident occurred earlier in December, but was first reported by St. Petersburg News Channel 78 on Sunday.
According to the report, the 15-year-old boy, Anton, was approached at his school in the Moskovsky District by a classmate, Sergey, who questioned him on why he had set an Israeli flag as his profile picture.
Anton’s mother told Channel 78 that Sergey spent the rest of the day harassing and insulting Anton and making references to the Holocaust. This pushed Anton to stand up to Sergey in front of his classmates.
Sergey then ushered Anton to the restroom “to talk” and arrived with an older friend. The two demanded that Anton “apologize on his knees.” When he refused, Sergey punched Anton several times in the face, while the older youth stood guard at the restroom’s exit. The two then told Anton not to tell anyone of the assault, according to his mother.
Anton was diagnosed with a fracture of the orbital bone (eye socket), and doctors performed surgery under general anesthesia and removed bone fragments. He spent more than a week in the hospital.
Violent act leads to official inquiry
His mother filed a police complaint, and an official inquiry was sent to the Moskovsky District Department of Education.
Channel 78 confirmed on Monday that the St. Petersburg Investigative Committee has opened a criminal case for assault and battery.
It is unclear whether the boy is Jewish. The names used are not the real names of the individuals.
The Jerusalem Post contacted various local sources for comment.