Connecticut girl, 12, charged with hate crime assault

A 12-year-old girl in Connecticut is facing a hate crime charge for allegedly attacking two Muslim sisters at school. The incident took place on March 3 in the locker room of Wallace Middle School during gym class. The girl is accused of pulling off the hijabs of the twin sisters, who are both 13 years old. This action led to physical injuries, with one sister ending up with a black eye and the other suffering a cut on her neck. According to the local police, the attack was motivated by the girls' religion and ethnicity, which qualifies it as a hate crime. The Connecticut chapter of the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) stated that the sisters had experienced verbal harassment since they started at the school in October. Farhan Memon, chair of CAIR-CT, said the sisters were attacked from behind. Their parents reached out for help after feeling that the school was not doing enough to ensure their daughters' safety. In addition to the 12-year-old girl, a 13-year-old student was also involved but was referred to a youth diversion program instead of facing formal charges. Due to the ages of all the students involved, their names have not been released. The Waterbury Department of Education announced it would implement new safety measures to protect students from bullying and enhance school safety in response to this incident.