The Latvian man now tethered to a life support machine in a British hospital apparently was attacked after a group of youths heard him and two other Balts speaking Russian, police said in their latest update of the case.
The 38-year-old man was stabbed in the head the night of Dec. 3 and now is in critical condition. Two acquaintances, a Latvian man and an Estonian woman, also were stabbed but were treated in hospitals and released, Latvian and British media report.
Police are appealing for tips from anyone who may have witnessed the attack, which may have been racially motivated.
“This was a vicious attack that has left a man fighting for his life in hospital,” Detective Chief Inspector Sam Haworth of the Greater Manchester Police said in a Dec. 8 statement.
The critically injured man had been visiting friends in the Pendleton district and was returning home with his acquaintances at about 11:15 p.m. when the attack occurred, police said. A group of teenagers overheard them speaking Russian, verbally abused them and then attacked them, police said.
The Latvian still in the hospital had only recently arrived in the Manchester area searching for work. The other Latvian and the Estonian woman have been in Britain for several years, the Manchester Evening News said.
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As a Salford resident I was shocked to hear about this attack. My heart goes out to these people and their loved ones.
My wife is a foreign national and our eldest son was not born in UK. Although my wife and I have never encountered racial abuse two of my sons have.
Parts of Salford are not nice areas to go, however other parts of Salford are. Just as there are areas of many European cities that are not safe to enter for strangers, Salford and Manchester are no different.
I do hope that this will not put off any EU citizen from Latvia coming to seek residency here and procuring employment.
I am a born and bred Englishman and was shocked to read this story. We like to think that we are tolerant and peace loving, but as John says, some areas are not safe. People of European appearance are targets for attack in some of our more multi-cultural areas.
What a shameful time for our nation. The welcome I have had in Latvia makes me more embarrassed.