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Sectarian Attack on Autistic Lad in Derry

Desmond79

www.belfastlive.co.uk/.../mum-autistic-child-12-hurt-27033456

A twelve-year-old boy, from the Protestant end of Derry, was attacked by Youths asking him whether he supported Celtic or Rangers. He was diagnosed with Autism, and was placed in instant panic.

  • in reply to 🐝 Bees 🐝 (they/them) Autism resources in bio #stoptheshock #NothingAboutUsWithoutUs

    Unfortunately nothing is safe from these kinds of people. I remember a few years ago someone was left basically braindead because they were on their way back from a Giants/Dodgers game wearing the wrong jersey.

    And if it's not their religion, sports team, sexuality, the colour of their skin etc. these people would find another reason to behave like this. Some humans have a ridiculous ability to cast someone else as other and treat them real badly because of it.

  • in reply to Shardovan

    "are you a protestant or catholic?/ do you support rangers or celtic?"

    This is why I'm a fire breathing heathen and I watch baseball...


    Poor kid.  :(  Those thugs need locking up. Imagine a gang of 16-19 year olds punching up a 12 yr old, it's disgusting.

  • Sickening. 

    I remember when I was about 7 or 8 -around 1985- going to the public library on my own for the first time - quite near where I lived, so it was a case of 'wait for the green man' at the lights and otherwise a safe walk home with my three wee books. As I exited the library this older boy starts walking with me and says 'Here, wee lad - what are you then? A pradestant or a Kathlic' [protestant or catholic but in the Belfast accent and consciously hearing those words for the first time it sounded like what I wrote out phonetically there].

    I had literally no idea what he was on about. He said 'What religion are ye?' I thought oh I see, there must be different kinds of going to mass, we go every week and I never realised - how odd'. Well I weighted up these two words in my mind as we walked and one - Protestant- sounded just slightly more familar than the other for some reason - so I said 'Protestant... I think'. (Incorrect - I was/am a Catholic). He goes 'Great, good man. Now here's what you do when you see a Catholic: You do this [makes rude gesture] and call them a f**ing taig, right?' 'Er, OK, thanks for the information I guess' (still no clue) 'And you can tell it's a Catholic because their eyes are closer together, right? Got it? ' 'Er, yes, I think so. Well look, it's been interesting meeting you but I must be off home now' [we'd reached the lights, he sails on in another direction, but demonstates once more for the record the imparted knowledge of the gesture]. I sometimes wonder if I'd answered his question correctly (which I mistakenly thought I had done) would I have received a beating, at that young age that would have robbed me of my remaining innocence a little earlier than things otherwise played out. I've never really run into that kind of blatantly sectarian conversation since, in subtle ways yes but not like that really. But I've been lucky enough to live/work at one remove from all of that for most of my life, in areas/places where people broadly get along. Others are not so lucky.

    Hope that kid will be OK.