A 15-year-old boy suffered serious-looking injuries after several youths allegedly attacked him with willow branches in a park in Pilis, near Budapest, on Wednesday. The boy had reportedly refused to hand over a carabiner attached to his keys. His friend was also injured.

According to a report by TV2 Híradó, the incident happened in broad daylight in a park that also contains a playground. The confrontation reportedly began when another teenager took an interest in the carabiner attached to the 15-year-old’s keyring and tried to take it from him.

The boy refused and managed to take back his property. Several people then allegedly attacked him.

The attackers reportedly broke branches from a nearby willow tree and used them to hit the two boys. The 15-year-old was left with long, bloody marks across his back and what appeared to be a large red handprint, while his friend suffered an injury to his calf.

Photographs taken after the incident showed the extent of the injuries.

Mayor arrived before authorities

The injured boy’s family remained in contact with him by phone before asking Pilis Mayor Attila László for help. The mayor said he and his colleagues reached the scene before municipal wardens.

“We arrived before the wardens and told the group that nobody could leave the area,”

László told TV2 Híradó. He said he took photographs and videos at the scene and gathered information about what had happened. According to the mayor’s account, the boy had attempted to defend himself after the carabiner was taken from him and eventually managed to recover it.

A crowd soon gathered at the park, including relatives of both the injured boys and those allegedly involved in the attack. László later addressed the incident on social media, saying that the town should have zero tolerance for violent acts. He called for the circumstances to be thoroughly investigated and for anyone found responsible to face the consequences under the law.

Police investigation expected

The mayor also raised concerns about information allegedly given to the victims’ families at the Monor Police Station. According to his account, one parent was reportedly told that a criminal complaint could be made after obtaining medical documentation of the injuries, but that little would come of the case because the alleged perpetrators were under 16.

László questioned this information, pointing out that the general minimum age of criminal responsibility in Hungary is 14. Being under 18 can result in different procedures and sanctions, but does not automatically rule out criminal responsibility.

He called on the Monor police to clarify exactly what information had been given to the parents and what action would be taken. The mayor later said he had been contacted by the Monor Police Station and informed that proceedings would be launched against those allegedly involved.

The investigation will determine the precise circumstances of the incident, including whether the initial attempt to take the boy’s property and the subsequent assault could amount to robbery or other offences.

The case also comes with a political and social controversy, as László’s public statement included inflammatory comments about the alleged attackers’ ethnic background and called for members of their community to leave Pilis and Hungary. Those remarks are separate from the factual question of what happened during the alleged assault, which will have to be established by the authorities.

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