Thirteen high school students in Calgary have been suspended after a red-headed teen was beaten because of the colour of his hair.

The Grade 10 boy was attacked in the locker room of St. Francis High School after gym class Thursday, students told CBC News.

The victim was taken to hospital for examination, and a spokeswoman for the Calgary Catholic School District said Friday he sustained "some minor bruising" to his upper body.

Calgary police are looking into the assault as a possible hate crime.

"The fact of the matter is from a policing perspective, it is a hate crime, and this individual was targeted because of the fact they have red hair," said police spokesman Kevin Brookwell.

CBC News has also learned that two red-haired, Grade 7 girls at St. Alphonsus Elementary/Junior High School were swarmed and kicked repeatedly by older girls on Thursday. Board spokeswoman Janet Sutherland said two students have been suspended in that case.

The attacks came on a day promoted by a Facebook group as Kick a Ginger Day. The Facebook group urged members to kick people with red hair — referred to as ginger kids — on Nov. 20.

The phenomenon appears to have originated with South Park, an animated TV show. An episode of the satirical show that originally aired in 2005 dealt with one character's mindless prejudice against red-haired people.

One student admitted kicking red-haired friends at school as a joke but says things went too far. (CBC)
Calgary police said they were aware of the campaign but decided not to issue any warnings.

"We didn't want to bring any more profile to this campaign to the city or the students and so the decision was that we would just see what happened," said Brookwell.

Ken Logel, a Grade 12 student at the northwest St. Francis High School, admitted kicking some classmates had been a running joke all day.

"I have a few buddies with red hair. You just kind of kick them lightly just as a joke. But when it gets carried way, that's not cool," he said Friday.

His friend, Simon Burke, added: "Some kids took it too far in the locker room yesterday and ended up really hurting one of the kids at our school. It's really hard to hear about it and I'm pretty disappointed in the kids that did it.

"Mostly, kids at the school are pretty good people and don't really expect people to be hurting other ones just for having red hair. It's just pretty ridiculous."

The high school is also investigating.

"From what I understand, he was targeted based on the colour of his hair," said Sutherland. "Regardless of why the incident happened, I think it's important to note that violence in school is never tolerated."

This week, schools in Manitoba and Newfoundland and Labrador sent warnings to students and parents about the prank.

Twenty students from a Vancouver Island middle school were sent home Thursday after they kicked red-haired schoolmates.

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/calgary/story/2008/11/21/calgary-kick-ginger-attack.html

now we just have to wait for some group of parents to flip shit about southpark again

And again we will all suffer because of the actions of the few.

sorry to say it, i did kick 5 gingers today

gingers suk

The formation of a Ginger Israel is just around the corner

why cant they just go to the isreal we have now? we dont need a new one and im sure the derkas will be nice to them

Man, round my parts this shit happens every day of the year

It's all fun and games until one of these ginger kids takes daddy's shotgun to school and fucking executes a bunch of people.

I'll laugh, because it'll be deserved.

My thoughts exactly.

Obvious Solution: Ginger kids should learn to fight.

I have a good sense of humor and loved that south park episode but "kick a ginger day" is such a hate crime. if their was a "kick a nigger day" or "kick a jew day" their would be back lash of epidemic proportion. their would be like riots or something. oh and kick a ginger today, get shot up later. a good portion of children who are killers, were ginger.

DAY WALKERS!!!!!!

Man I been puttin up with bullshit most of my life cause i got red hair it isn't like it started with south park lol.
It isn't anything new and it is rarely hard to come up with an insult better than "oi ginger lololol".

No one tried anything worse than that at school though cause of my hair. I was hardly ever in fights, the couple I was in were probly why.

damn gingers, polluting our world with low wave length light!

At my school, some dumb fucking freshman actually refused to come to school. We got talked to about it by the vice-principal and they put up memos everywhere. Jesus, chill the fuck out. It's a joke. It's not like anyone was going to get killed.

now we just have to wait for some group of parents to flip shit about southpark

You're about fifteen years too late for that to be news.

Come and meet my m8 :p

Oh god... Gingerael... (Say it aloud)

I hate it. I dyed my hair a few times just to get rid of the constant comments from those I have to see daily but don't know me aside from hair colour, and everyone over 30 bitches at me for avoiding it and not being more assertive.
They no longer do that after I snapped and threatened someone with a scalpel after they yelled "eww ranga". God I wish guns were accessible here at times.

Can anyone explain why the hatred of redheads? Most stereotypes I can understand, but never this.

Can anyone explain why the hatred of redheads? Most stereotypes I can understand, but never this.

http://blogs.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/exposure/ginger.jpg
http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w48/PaulyB07/GingerKid.jpg

http://blogs.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/exposure/ginger.jpg
http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w48/paulyb07/gingerkid.jpg

you're not helping

There actually was hit a jew day:
http://blogs.usatoday.com/ondeadline/2008/10/mo-sixth-grader.html

You fail because there was no back lash of epidemic proportions. Or riots.

this shit cracks me up.....the fact that they base it as a hate crime .......then when little timmy gets beat up are they gonna say it was because he had blond hair and blue eyes...i mean common all we need now is a kick a loser day....would it be a hate crime to kick sombody based on social status????

SERIOUSLY

what about Mixed people would it be a hate crime to kick sombody if they were mixed technically you could say it was cuz they were half breed

"you damn half breed(kicks)HAHAHAHA!!"

Can anyone explain why the hatred of redheads? Most stereotypes I can understand, but never this.

It might be because you are a mutant. Not the cool type, like the X-Men...

"In people with red hair, the cells that produce skin and hair pigment have a mutated MC1R. Researchers have found that this mutation triggers the release of more of the hormone that stimulates these cells, but this hormone also stimulates a brain receptor related to pain sensitivity."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_hair

Personally I have nothing against gingers. Like the guy above said, he is ginger and has no problems because he isn't a "homo". If a ginger person is a dick, people give them abuse because it's an obvious easy target and some people are sensitive about it. If they are a normal person, I think most people don't care... there is a lot of banter about it, but I can't imagine anyone I know ever kicking someone because they were ginger.

My original post was far too long it was more of a life story. LOL.

I'm ginger. I stand up for myself. I don't get picked on because I'm not a complete arsehole to other people. If someone is a complete arsehole towards me then I'll say my piece, or punch them in the fucking face.

Saint Francis eh?
I live around there, i'm suprised a school like that would do such a thing

You're so hardcore, I wish I was as hardcore as you.

you son of a bitch :( I woke my mum up, not cool.

ONTOPIC: Hahahahahahahaha! GOLD, FUCKING GOLD!!
Sure to celebrate next year...
'Hospitalize a GINGER KID day'
It could work ????

Its a hate crime because it was planned against people of that specific genus (yeah sorry I know thats a burn), rather than just randomly picking some kid and beating him up.

Haha no you won't you redheaded pussy.

Literally!

you son of a bitch :( I woke my mum up, not cool.


Don't worry, I put her back to sleep.