White Teens Allegedly Performed 'Mock Slave Auction' On Black Student In Schoolyard

A secondary school in England is under fire Wednesday after parents learned of at least seven white students who allegedly tied up a black student during a so-called "mock slave auction."

The alleged incident, which took place Jan. 22 at a school in Bath, England, involved teenagers chaining the black student to a lamp post while whipping him and spouting racial slurs, according to the Bath Chronicle. Police also reportedly confirmed that some of the suspects came into the station for questioning.

The school, under anonymity, told the Chronicle it had "thoroughly investigated" the incident "in line with statutory procedures."

The principal initially expelled three of the suspects until the administration overturned the decision and handed down a two-week suspension instead.

A father and mother of a mixed-race student argued that the administration shouldn’t have been lenient with those involved.

"It just sends the wrong message out to the children," the father who remained anonymous told the Chronicle. "I’ve got a mixed-race son. He’s thinking ‘they’re going to stick up for the white kids but we get in trouble if we do something wrong.'"

"As a parent, my moral compass at the moment is screaming," the mother said. "Someone has to be held accountable for it. The boy it happened to is just the sweetest little thing ever. He’s so sweet and kind and gentle. It just makes it even worse."

A police spokesperson told local news that they were made aware of the incident and added that six of the suspects voluntarily took a trip to the police station.

The school on Wednesday released a statement to parents.

"We have today become aware of media interest in an incident which took place in January and involved a group of established friends and related to a single incident of unacceptable behavior within the school grounds," the message read. "You can be assured that the school has taken this incident exceptionally seriously and that our absolute priority was, and remains, that the right path is taken for all those involved as well as the wider school community."