Students assaulted
Violence looks set to tarnish the beginning of the new academic year, as last week saw several assaults on students, each resulting in hospitalisation.
Most shocking of these involved a gang of four beating a student living off the Cowley Road with a bottle on his own doorstep.
Tom Lind, a second year at St Peter's, was walking home from The Zodiac's Fuzzy Ducks night last Wednesday, when four men began shouting after him. Lind replied but didn't stop, and was followed home by the group: "I got in and two minutes later the doorbell rang. When I answered it, I was hit over the head by a vodka bottle, which didn't break.
"I fought back, but was quickly hit by another bottle, which broke. My last memory is two of them dragging the others down my path."
Lind, a former junior boxing champion of New York, was taken to hospital and received stitches before being discharged at 5.30am. The attack was reported to the police, who have yet to take action.
"I found it pretty scary not being able to defend myself against them fully."
Another two incidents occurred over the course of the next three nights, both involving more St Peter's students.
The first led to the arrest of two young men outside Clementine's on Thursday night. They had previously punched and kicked Adam Weidner, a second year, in the face.
"Apparently the CCTV is pretty funny, because the whole thing was totally unprovoked," Weidner told The Oxford Student.
Late on Saturday night, three third year St Peter's physicists were assaulted in Studio. Two were left with slight bruising, whilst a third suffered a gashed nose and heavier bruising which required medical attention.
These recent incidents occurred prior to the return of most students, and the situation could worsen.
Last year saw several spates of violence, as the so called 'town vs gown' animosity reared its head on a regular basis.
In the most shocking attack a student from the European School of Management was thrown from Magdalen Bridge by two middle-aged white males. James Hunter suffered several minor injuries.
6th Oct 2004