I’ve seen Teimeni Jews with peyos. And they are pronouncing Ayn, so they were not raised by chasidim. So, maybe those terrible stories had some Guzma ..
For those who lament Sephardim coming to Israel, think what would happen with them under Asad, Qaddafi, Saddam, Yemen civil war, ISIS… You want to see Jewish girls sold into slavery and boys learning to slit throats?