This Facebook page declared Nov. 20 'Kick a Ginger Day.' (Facebook)

Another story of abuse has emerged in B.C. as a result of a Facebook campaign to kick redheads — and this time it was a teacher’s own brother who was targeted.

A Facebook group, declaring Nov. 20 as “Kick a Ginger Day,” encouraged people to kick their redheaded peers.

The Facebook group was likely inspired by South Park, a satirical, animated TV show that aired an episode dealing with prejudice, focusing on one character’s hateful attitude toward redheads.

Prince Rupert Secondary School teacher Tulani Ackerman told CBC News her younger brother, who goes to high school in the Kootenays, was kicked in the groin by a number of students and fled the school out of fear.

“My mother stated that he had been a victim to it, and that he felt so unsafe in his school because kids were kicking him that he left school and that he felt so unsafe going out that night without somebody with him,” Ackerman said.

She said the incident shows that anti-bullying messages aren’t getting through to some kids.

“It’s as though they’re in that mob mentality where they would not do it if they were by themselves,” Ackerman said.

“They get caught up in the energy of it and they just move with it. The scary thing about when kids get caught up in the movement of something is they have no idea of the impact on that child that has had to go home because they’ve been kicked.”

She and her class have decided to dye their hair red on Nov. 27, a week to the day of the event, to denounce the violence.

Incidents throughout B.C., Alberta

The president of the B.C. Teachers’ Federation is urging teachers around the province to use the incident to talk about the effects of bullying.

“Some kids will excuse it on the grounds of ‘it’s just a joke, it’s not that serious,’ but I think when you really get into that discussion with kids, the vast majority of them will come to the conclusion, at the end of the day, that nothing that harms other people should be acceptable in a society,” Irene Lanzinger said.

The advantages of Facebook and other internet tools outweigh the disadvantages, she said, but constant education on their use is vital.

The Facebook campaign saw incidents of bullying and abuse throughout B.C. and Alberta.

Twenty students from Journey Middle School in Sooke, B.C., were sent home for kicking their redheaded classmates; a student in Prince George, B.C., went home from school after being kicked in the leg repeatedly; and 13 students in Calgary were suspended for beating up a redheaded teen.

From CBC.ca.