Video of fight with Syrian, Canadian students sparks protest

RCMP is trying to keep the peace at a central Alberta school after a video posted on social media of a fight between small group of Syrian and Canadian students got attention.

The brawl outside Lindsay Thurber Comprehensive High School on May 16 attracted online comments accusing the immigrants of whipping students and accusing school officials of not disciplining the Syrians. More than a dozen people showed up at the school parking lot to protest, including an anti-Muslim group called Worldwide Coalition Against Islam and another group called Soldiers of Odin.

Principal Dan Lower said most of the protesters have no connection to the school. Cops were reportedly called and the regular classes were started. All the students involved in the fight — four Syrians and four Canadians — have been suspended for one week, the principal said.

“From that video a post was put on Facebook and was sent around stating that the Syrians are allowed to go around whipping Canadians and that is because of their religious beliefs,” Lower is reported to have said.

He said students and parents have been told the fight has been blown out of proportion by people on social media.RCMP too maintained that the dispute was nothing more than a typical school fight.  “It just happened to turn into this other thing just because of the social media postings and the comments. That is why the protest and that is why the presence there for us,”  RCMP said.