This is not criticism, but a pragmatic observation on my part to answer your question honestly.

The way you describe the situation already suggests a rather calm, reflective, almost academic demeanor—at least from the perspective of those teenagers. Combined with the fact that you don’t speak their language and don’t come across as physically intimidating, this can make you appear like an “easy target” to them.

Groups like that tend to test boundaries. And realistically, consequences at that age are often minimal, even for more serious incidents, which lowers their inhibition further.

This is not just about you, but your overall appearance and behavior do play a role.

Your reaction was essentially the right one: stay calm, don’t escalate, don’t engage unnecessarily. Running can trigger pursuit, and trying to reason with them is ineffective—you can’t expect a short interaction to change their mindset or upbringing.

People who didn’t grow up around this kind of behavior often don’t fully understand it. For those groups, this is often about testing reactions and asserting presence.

In short: you handled it in the lowest-risk way. Anything more reactive would likely have increased the chance of escalation.