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BEGGING

Beggar hit in exhaust fume ‘attack’

A beggar in southern Sweden was forced to flee in terror after she was enveloped with thick black smoke, part of an apparent attack that was captured on video and spread via social media.

Beggar hit in exhaust fume 'attack'
Exhaust fumes. Photo:Shutterstock.

The incident occurred in Örkelljunga where the woman was sitting outside a well-known grocery store. She was facing the entrance to the supermarket when a car revved up and showered her in exhaust fumes. The woman jumped up and ran to escape the toxic gas.

The incident gained notoriety after the six-second clip was uploaded to Facebook. The 21-year-old man who uploaded the clip refused to name the perpetrator, but denied that he was behind the apparent attack.

"I was provoked by beggars," he told Expressen. He added in a comment to the Helsingborgs Dagblad newspaper that he believed that begging indicated laziness.

The victim later spoke to Sveriges Radio and said her attackers fled the scene laughing. She added that in her three weeks in Sweden that she had only encountered friendly people who were sympathetic to her plight.

Local councillor Carina Zachau condemned the incident and said it tarnished the image of Örkelljunga.

Police have now opened an inquiry into the matter and a criminal investigation is currently under way.

A video recording of the incident was uploaded to YouTube, but was taken down late on Tuesday morning. 

The Local/pr
 

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