Reports have surfaced of University of York students being attacked by a group of young men in Halifax College, and Heslington Main Street on the Friday 13 November and Saturday 14 November.
A graphic video (below) filmed from Wood Court showed them attempting to break down one flat’s door on Friday, having allegedly set their fire alarm off and attempted to force entry after asking for the drug nitrous oxide, commonly known as “balloons”.
“I’m scared to walk around campus at night,” a Halifax student told York Vision.
They told how when trying to close the door against the group after refusing them entry, “they spat on the flat mates and tried to punch them. There was also mention of knives but obviously we didn’t know if that was true or not.”
The group have been described as between the ages of 15-17, and in number of between five to ten, although reports vary.
The University of York has responded to York Vision‘s request for comment with the following statement:
“We are aware of several incidents over the weekend regarding youths coming on to campus near Halifax College and acting in a threatening and anti-social manner.
“Our security teams attended the scene and provided support and advice to students after liaising with North Yorkshire Police, and we will increase patrols in the area to deter any further incidents and to give our students additional reassurance.
“We are appalled by this behaviour and we urge any student who feels threatened on or off campus to contact security immediately, or police in an emergency, so we can respond. Students can call Security or use the SafeZone app to alert us.
“We take violence and threats of violence extremely seriously. To any students affected by the recent incidents, please get in contact with us directly via the Student Hub, through our Report and Support webpages or your College team, so we can offer further help.”
If you have any information relating to this, please contact York Vision at [email protected].
In the event of an emergency on campus, students can call Security on 01904323333, or 3333 from a University extension.
The Report and Support webpages can be found here: https://reportandsupport.york.ac.uk.