Court proceedings sparked by the racially motivated violence in the Hakunila neighbourhood in Vantaa in September this year began on Wednesday.

   

The first of the cases being handled at the Vantaa district court involves three Finnish males under the age of 20 who are accused of assaulting a 16-year old Somali boy three months ago. One of the defendants is under the age of 18. Prosecutor Arto Nurminen is calling for a conviction for aggravated assault.

   

The defendants are not disputing the events as such, but they disagree on the seriousness of the actions.

   

The 16-year old victim was beaten at a bus stop in Hakunila on Friday evening, September 15. According to the prosecution, the defendants hit their victim with their fists. When he fell down, they proceeded to kick him in the head and all over his body, breaking his nose, knocking out one tooth and chipping another. All of the defendants are Finnish citizens, but one is foreign-born.

   

The trial continues today, Thursday, and two more trials are in store later, involving the events that followed the day after the beating of the 16-year old Somali.

   

Two ethnic Somalis and one Iraqi young man are to be charged in connection with the stabbing of a 16-year old boy, and an attempt to run over a 25 year old man.

   

The tit-for-tat violence led to a school boycott by Somali families fearing violence, and sparked extensive public discussion on relations between native Finns and foreign born residents.