I snapped at a 19yr guy who likes me but subtly harasses me. I'm 24 and i feel stupid

I attend evening school in Austria. There's this Austrian guy who was a bit friendly toward me at first, and since I’m usually a friendly person myself, I responded in kind. I also assumed he was much younger than me. As an immigrant who’s only been in the country for four years, I wanted to interact more with Austrians and integrate better.
But from week one, he began staring at me constantly and always tried to sit directly behind me. (I honestly don’t know what the hell he means by that.) If any guy talked to me or sat next to me, he would get jealous and act passive-aggressive toward them.
For eight whole months, he stared at me constantly, waited to see where I’d sit just so he could position himself directly behind me—in German lessons, geography, math—you name it. Multiple times, he followed me around. I got the sense he was trying to talk to me then, but I wasn’t interested.
The point is: I ignored his existence for 8 months. I ignored anyone who sat near him. I walked past him like he was invisible, even when he blatantly stared at me. Isn’t that enough for someone to get the hint?
But no. Every test, he has to sit directly behind me. He checks me out. He stares. And who knows what else he’s doing. My friend, who usually sits next to me, doesn’t seem to notice or feel the discomfort I’m in—like she’s unaware that I’m being targeted specifically.
Whenever I notice him sitting somewhere or trying to sit behind me, I move away or find another seat. I’ve done this enough times for him to understand that I don’t want him near me.
Last night, I was really tired. Around 19:30, I sat next to my friend and completely forgot that he’d be sitting behind me again since his two friends were there too. I felt awful—like I’d accidentally given him an opportunity to enjoy whatever twisted satisfaction he gets from sitting behind me.
Then, at 20:30, for our final 90-minute class, I walked in and sat alone in a new seat. I noticed him following me again, trying to sit directly behind me. I got mad and moved to the end of the same row, far from him. I felt completely disrespected and was fuming the entire 90 minutes.
When class ended, he walked out. I followed and kicked his foot. When he turned around, I asked, “What the hell do you want from me?” He said, “Wait, let’s talk.” I agreed. I told him, “I’ve seen so much abnormal behavior from you. Why do you keep sitting behind me? You know I’ve been ignoring you for months, so why are you still doing this?”
He replied, “Everything you think you saw is in your head. Let’s go to the school psychologist.” I said, “You need a psychologist more than I do.” He got upset and said, “Stay one meter away from me,” and moved. I said, “No, I won’t,” and followed him. I was very upset and aggressive.
Then his ex—who is fully aware of how he’s been acting for the past eight months—jumped in and said, “What are you talking about? Are you in your right mind? Eight months of him sitting behind you?” I told her to shut up because it had nothing to do with her. She claimed he doesn’t sit behind me.
Then his male friend, who is also extremely aware of the situation, said, “The three of us always sit together. It has nothing to do with you.” I told him to shut up too. I then asked the guy, “Why do you constantly stare at me?” and he replied, “I try not to stare at you.”
Our female German professor saw us fighting and immediately stepped in. His ex and friend literally dragged him away because I was so visibly upset. Before leaving, he looked at me and said, “I don’t like you, what are you talking about?”
Am I crazy?
One of our teachers, the geography teacher, even kicked him out once because he was sitting behind me and pouting at me for ten minutes straight. The German teacher saw his jealousy, passive aggression, the way he stared at me, the way he sat behind me every time, checked me out, all of it—for eight months. But no one said anything.
Why? Is it because I ignored him the entire time?
Later, the German teacher came to me and asked if I was okay. I said no, because “[His name] is acting very abnormally toward me.” She said we’d talk next week and not to worry.
More context:
My German is intermediate—not fluent. He’s Austrian, very confident and charismatic. All the other guys seem to fear or respect him. But everyone saw his behavior. I’m an immigrant, brown, from Africa, and I wear a hijab/headscarf. I feel like he’s taking me lightly and treating me disrespectfully.
btw he sits behind me when he gets the chance, not every single time, specially now i am actively staying away from his seat? also, what the hell do i tell the german teacher when she asks me what is wrong? he sits behind me? well the seats are free for everyone, i feel ridiculous too but also harrassed.

i believe you. sounds like stalkerish behaviour. but because he does it in such a lowkey way it will be difficult to explain it to anyone without them thinking you're the crazy one. is there any way you could just sit in the last row to avoid the whole issue? or make a female friend and always sit next to her, to feel a bit more confident?

I usually sit with a female friend, but the problem is that when I arrive late to class or to lessons that she and the guy both attend, I often find him already sitting behind the chair next to her—basically forcing me to sit in front of him if I want to sit with my friend. And my friend is so oblivious that she doesn’t even notice or understand his behavior.

what a weirdo, can't you ask her to always sit in the last row and save you a seat? maybe just say you like your own space and you don't like it when people sit behind you, no need to mention him specifically

but he usually sits in the last row and his friends too, sitting next to them is even more uncomfy. Also, i think its very abnormal to tell a friend keep moving away from him or where he sit, people should sit where they are comfortable? did i overreact when i confronted him? i was a bit aggressive

well you dont have to sit directly next to them, just sit at the other end of the row... i don't think it's weird to tell your friend that tbh. i didn't see it so it's hard for me to judge but if it's been going on for a long time, it's no surprise that you finally snapped

I feel gaslighted or even delusional, especially since even his ex and friend defended him. Now, I’m really worried about how I’ll explain his behavior to the German teacher, especially if she talks to me about it in front of the class.

she won't do it in front of the class, most teachers are trained to handle stuff like that. maybe just tell her the truth. that he always sits behind you and it feels like he's doing this to intimidate you. or you could try reverse psychology on him - ignore him completely, don't even acknowledge his existence

i ignored him for months to a point everyone thought i dont even notice his behavior, he knows i ignore him but he uses it now as an excuse to make it seem like nothing happened

i see : / technically it will be impossible to prove that he's doing this on purpose. so if it really really bothers you maybe consider switching to another class

if you were in my shoes, how would you have reacted to this person?

i had a stalker when was in college. he was my neighbour (a lot older). tbh, i was absolutely terrified of him, would avoid him at all costs. my mum reported him to the police when she found out but they didn't do ****. no way in hell i'd ever have the guts to directly confront him. now, as an adult, idk... probably still wouldn't do anything differently tbh, creepy men still scare me.

but is he the same as "full blown stalker" ? he gets along with everyone and they all like him, his behavior is only towards me, also, i am really super chill as a person and dont easily get triggered, i usually dont even know if someone is overstepping or just normal since i am so chill. also i have anxiety and history of always getting bullied, now that i am in a country i cant fluently speak the language it just makes me feel powerless. honestly i have no idea if this kid is obsessed or just immature. sorry if i am bothering you btw

i wouldn't say it's the same but it's clearly causing you some distress. it could be that he likes you and is showing it in a weird way. or the opposite, maybe he's racist or something. maybe things will calm down once you have a chat with your teacher

thank you

In case you want a second opinion (from a white male): It certainly sounds like targeted behaviour. Though its cause can only be speculated upon, it's kind of irrelevant if it's affecting you in this way. It doesn't sound like you overreacted (from your point of view at least) and I would suggest you stand your ground on this point. Hopefully you can explain your situation to the tutors and they can take it forward with the individual with a view to resolving the situation.
A couple of questions I would ask:
What is the size of the classroom where these lessons occur and how many people are there? It's reasonable to assume if the rooms are small and/or there are a limited number of attendees, that his sitting behind you simply as a coincidence may happen frequently. Additionally in some cases, there might also be an unspoken kind of 'seating arrangement' - I've noticed this in the past when commuting to work that I and other travellers regularly take the same seat day after day.
Secondly, in the area where you are in Austria, are there a large number of immigrants or non-white residents?

In case you want a second opinion (from a white male): It certainly sounds like targeted behaviour. Though its cause can only be speculated upon, it's kind of irrelevant if it's affecting you in this way. It doesn't sound like you overreacted (from your point of view at least) and I would suggest you stand your ground on this point. Hopefully you can explain your situation to the tutors and they can take it forward with the individual with a view to resolving the situation.
A couple of questions I would ask:
What is the size of the classroom where these lessons occur and how many people are there? It's reasonable to assume if the rooms are small and/or there are a limited number of attendees, that his sitting behind you simply as a coincidence may happen frequently. Additionally in some cases, there might also be an unspoken kind of 'seating arrangement' - I've noticed this in the past when commuting to work that I and other travellers regularly take the same seat day after day.
Secondly, in the area where you are in Austria, are there a large number of immigrants or non-white residents?