Brighton race attack on Arab student 'was hate crime'
Four youths punched and kicked a student in a racially-aggravated attack in Brighton.
Police said the 19-year-old Israeli Arab student was attacked by four youths in Hollingdean on Boxing Day.
Officers said the youths punched and kicked the English language student to the ground, causing cuts and bruises and a deep cut to his jaw.
Det Con Emily Hoare said the attack was racially-aggravated and was being treated as a hate crime.
She said: "This is being investigated as a hate crime, as racist language was used during the assault and we believe the victim's evident ethnicity motivated the suspects to commit this offence.
"Crime of any kind is unacceptable, but to target someone because of prejudice or hate is intolerable."
She said the student had been studying English in the city and had been staying with a local family in Horton Road.
He had been walking back to the property at about 23:00 GMT on Monday when the youths ran up behind him and attacked him.
Det Con Hoare said the group also followed him back to the property where he was staying.
As he went inside, they threw a bottle at the house which hit a wall, she added.
Nothing was stolen and the victim was treated for his injuries at the Royal Sussex County Hospital, she said.
She said the youths were all male, white and in their late-teens to early-20s.