College students charged for beating Palestinians

Three football players at Guilford College, a school with a Quaker background, face assault and ethnic intimidation charges after an attack on three Palestinian students, authorities said Tuesday. The victims were beaten with fists, feet and brass knuckles early Saturday by attackers who called them "terrorists" and used racial slurs, according to court documents. Authorities charged Michael Bates, 19; Michael Robert Six, 20; and Christopher Barnette, 21, with ethnic intimidation and assault and battery. They were released on $2,000 (€1,534) bail. School officials believe about 12 people were involved in the altercation, said Guilford spokesman Nic Brown. Administrators were still trying to determine whether some were fighting or trying to break it up, Brown said.