Teen victim of Surrey swarming attack being bullied and blamed online, mother says

Warning: This story and the related videos contain details that may be disturbing to readers. 

Mounties in Surrey say there may be more arrests following a vicious assault on a 15-year-old by other teenage girls that was filmed and posted online.

The Surrey RCMP said Wednesday that parents have come forward to identify their child or child's friend as being involved.

But since the Saturday beating, the victim’s mom told CTV News that the bullying continues with hurtful online posts blaming her daughter for what happened.

She said her child, who doesn’t understand why she was targeted, continues to be afraid to leave their home and won’t return to school this year.

Meanwhile, Vancouver psychologist Joti Samra, describes what happened as "hugely troubling and sadly not an isolated incident.”

The Vancouver Police Department said it has also been alerted to a "concerning trend" of this type of violent, bullying and degrading "ritual" targeting teens.

The online video shows that after the teen was punched and kicked, her attackers cornered her and made her kiss their boots.

“There’s a very strong military component to that kind of 'kiss the boots' element and it makes me think of the large amount of divisiveness we’ve seen in our society over the last couple of years,” said Samra.

“It is an ultimate way to demean, demoralize, weaken someone and ultimately actions and requests like that are driven by a sense for control and power over an individual,” she said.

Samra believes the impact of the pandemic may be playing a role in increased incidents of violence involving teenagers.

“At a time in our society when very strong, even very hurtful demeaning comments toward others are becoming more widely accepted and perhaps even normalized, of course we’re going to see a trickle down to our young folks and in in this case teens,” she said.

It’s estimated about 20 teens were present when the beating took place, but no one called 911 for help.

Samra said the disturbing attack should prompt parents to talk to their kids about bullying.

“Talk about what is right and wrong, acceptable and unacceptable,” she said.

BullyFreeBC said in an email to CTV News that “What happened to the young person in Surrey who was mobbed is horrifying and heart-breaking, but not surprising.”

The organization believes prevention is the best remedy, but that good leadership is required at all levels for the best outcomes.

“When someone violates the boundaries of others, when abuse starts, the difference between a healthy human community and a dysfunctional or toxic situation is what happens next,” the email said.

“Does someone step forward to change the dynamic, to check and rebuke the aggression, to hold people accountable for breaking the rules? Does anyone reach out to help and comfort the person being victimized? Or does a mob form? Do people start feeding off the negative energy?” the organization asked.

One youth was arrested on the weekend and released on a promise to appear in court at a later time.

The police investigation is ongoing.