An N.C. State student and two friends from Guilford College in Greensboro were beaten on that campus this weekend, prompting some to allege the trio fell victim to a 'hate crime.'

According to a Greensboro Police report, Omar Awartani, a freshman in aerospace and mechanical engineering, was assaulted along with two friends, Osama Sabbah and Faris Khader, at Guilford Saturday at 1 a.m.

A Guilford College statement said the altercation lasted less than five minutes and involved "physical violence and alleged verbal abuse during and after the incident." The statement also said about 12 students participated "either in the fight or attempts to break it up...."

"He was with his friends in a courtyard at Guilford," [Nusaybah] Ismail said. "[Guilford] football players just came up to them and started beating them up, calling them names."

According to Ismail, the football players yelled things like "go back to your land." [Link]