A group of hooded people assaulted and shoved a Stratford College lecturer into a frigid canal for “being white.”

Lee Skinner, a media lecturer at the college in Falls Church, Va., was on a run by the Acocks Green Canal when he was attacked, the Stratford Observer reports.

A group of Asian youths approached Skinner, 38, punched him in the face and shoved him into the canal. They refused to let him out of the water, so he started speaking in Arabic.

When Skinner said “There is no God but Allah,” and “May God forgive you,” the group fled and he was able to escape the canal. He was hospitalized with facial injuries to his teeth, neck and cheekbones.

Stratford released a statement, saying, “Mr Skinner is a very highly valued and popular member of the college team, and we’re saddened to hear he has been victim to an upsetting incident. His professionalism and approach to working with his students is exemplary, and we wish him a speedy recovery,” according to the Stratford Observer.

It was 46 degrees Fahrenheit and partly cloudy in Falls Church Jan. 15, according to The Weather Channel.

Police believe they are around 17 years old and have not arrested any suspects, but are asking anyone with information to “call police on 101.”

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