‘Fight Club’ subculture at Toronto school spurred teen’s beating, mother says

A woman believes a violent subculture at a west-end Toronto high school spurred a group of people to beat her younger son during a lunch break earlier this month.

The woman said her 14-year-old son was “swarmed and assaulted” by the group as he walked back to Annette Street Public School, off school property, on May 11. CityNews has chosen not to reveal the identity of the boy or his mother.

In a Facebook post, the boy’s mother said her son was punched repeatedly in the face and head to the point where he lost consciousness. She added he had “signs of a concussion” and he was bleeding from his mouth, ears and nose.

Grade 12 Humberside student Sam Manelli, whose younger brother was walking with the boy at the time, said he couldn’t understand why anyone would gang up on a younger boy.

“When I first heard about grade elevens picking on grade eights, I said that’s really cowardly,” he said. “It was pretty severe. It was three or five on one, just for no reason.

“What I heard happened to him is was he got a broken nose, broken jaw,” Sam said. “He was bleeding a lot and he got concussed, so (there) was memory loss. (He) got admitted to the hospital … he stayed at home for quite a while.”

Toronto police confirmed two 17-year-olds have been arrested and charged with assault.

And according to the boy’s mother, the Humberside principal suspended several students and has recommended the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) expel one of them.

“It’s a crazy terrible thing and it should never have happened,” said TDSB trustee Robin Pilkey. “The inappropriateness of it is unbelievable to me.”

Meanwhile, the boy’s mother said she has since learned the alleged attack was not an isolated incident.

“I have since come to understand that (he) unknowingly became the victim of a ‘Fight Club’ subculture at Humberside Collegiate,” she wrote, referring to the 90s movie and book about an underground club of men who fight each other to escape their dull lives.

But although Sam said there have been more fights at the school this year, neither he nor Pilkey were familiar with rumours of a Fight Club.

“I have not had that experience,” Pilkey said. “I have not had reports from parents about that as the trustee and as a parent of the school I’ve never heard that.”

She said a meeting will be held at Humberside on June 12 so parents can voice their concerns.