Two Jewish men were brutally attacked in London on the eve of Holocaust Memorial Day. One of the victims was left with a fractured wrist and nose and another had an eye injury and bruising.
CCTV footage from Wednesday night shows two Orthodox men being assaulted and knocked to the ground as they emerged from their shop in Stamford Hill as the attacker was walking by.
Both men turn as the suspect, a tall man dressed in black, walks around them — moments before he lands the first of multiple punches and dragging one of them along the pavement.
The attacker then walks away, kicking a fallen kippah along the ground.
Both Jewish men were admitted to a north London hospital. Police said the incident was being treated as a hate crime and a man has been arrested and remains in custody.
Leading condemnations of the attack, Prime Minister Boris Johnson tweeted, “I’m appalled by this despicable footage, and I thank police for making a swift arrest.
This attack is a terrible reminder, on Holocaust Memorial Day, that such prejudice is not consigned to history, but remains a very real problem in society. We must stamp out antisemitism.”
Home Secretary Priti Patel tweeted: “An absolutely despicable attack. This, on the eve of Holocaust Memorial Day, is a sickening reminder of why we must never allow antisemitism to take root. We won’t tolerate abuse towards our Jewish community.”