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A bus driver in Italy has sustained numerous injuries after being beaten by a group of men in Parma to the cheers of a larger crowd of alleged immigrants. The attack, which could have been racially motivated, was filmed on camera.
The driver was saved by a policeman who rushed to the scene. The victim suffered several bruises and a cut to his nose. According to local media, the veteran Tep bus driver of 31 years was admitted to a hospital with various injuries.
It is not yet clear what prompted Tuesday's incident or whether or not the assailants were migrants who have come to Italy from Africa. While Italian police and Tep conduct their own separate investigations, two different versions of the events have emerged, Italian media reported.
According to the driver, who has not been identified, he was attacked for no particular reason. He says that the rowdy crowd was waiting for him Tuesday following an earlier incident Monday.
“My colleagues told me to be attentive to the presence of a group of foreigners on the square [at the bus depot in Parma],” the driver told Parma Repubblica. “I tried to drive away but they started to yell, kick and throw [themselves] at the bus. Fortunately, I did not have any passengers and I could pull away.”
After the incident Monday, the driver alleges that he reported the attempted assault to his superiors at Tep. He asked for law enforcement to be sent to the same spot the next day, should their be a repeat of the incident.
When he arrived Tuesday, the driver said, “they were waiting for me, they kicked and kicked the bus.”
“By the force of their blows, they managed to get in. There were three of them. One climbed in from the rear doors that opened after activating the valves, and another pulled me out of the driver seat, while the third guy came and hit me to the ground.”
According to the driver, who has not been identified, he was attacked for no particular reason. He says that the rowdy crowd was waiting for him Tuesday following an earlier incident Monday.