<A yoga protest against racism in front of the Eiffel Tower. / Source: Yonhap News>
A Korean male student in his twenties was stabbed and seriously injured after he received a racist mockery by local teenagers in the southern French city of Montpellier.
The Korean student has been taken by paramedics to a nearby hospital and is receiving treatment, but he's said to be in a critical condition. French police arrested 3 Albanian teenagers, ages 17-18, at the scene and they are under investigation.
The incident occurred at 11:30 pm on the 7th in front of Palais de Congre in downtown Montpellier, according to the French media on the 8th (local time).
A 29-year-old Korean man studying in France and his two friends were racially discriminated by local teenagers with a gesture generally used to mock Asians by tearing both eyes with hands.
After the Korean student demanded an apology to the teenagers, they assaulted him with blows and kicks. He was also stabbed twice during the assault.
An official at the Korean Embassy in France said, “We are working with the local police on the exact details” and, “We will provide consular assistance to the victim and request a strict investigation to the local investigative authority."
The number of racial discrimination cases against Korean students or residents in Europe, especially after the spread of COVID-19, has increased.
Last month, the Korean embassy requested a strict investigation to the local prosecution on the case of which a Korean female in her twenties reported to the local police after she was threatened with racist verbal abuse by a local male in Nice, a famous tourist city in southern France.
