Life returns to normal for Sheffield’s Chinese students after attacks
- String of assaults which left nine students injured raised fears on campus of growing racism but anxieties are easing
- One woman has been charged and another is under investigation in relation to the attacks, and the motive is still unknown
As the latest K-pop tunes play in the background, groups of young people chat quietly in Mandarin over bubble tea in a variety of colours. A sign in simplified Chinese characters directs the adventurous towards a studio upstairs where they can use a QR code to book places in its murder mystery role-playing games.
At the restaurant across the road, a couple scan the QR code on the table and order Cantonese clay pot rice. They pay for it with WeChat, the Chinese mobile app which lets them settle their bill in renminbi. On the walls are notices warning against telephone scams, said to have been tailored to trap Chinese students.
All of the victims were from mainland China. Most were attacked from behind, struck on the head and left with cuts and bruises, as they waited to cross the road or meet with friends on the University of Sheffield campus.
