Attackers ‘kick and punch Jewish man before trying to steal his trousers’

A Jewish man has described the moment six masked men ambushed him ‘like animals’, leaving him fearing for his life.

The man, who was visiting London from Israel, said he was talking on his phone in Hebrew when the suspected antisemitic attack took place outside the Golders Green apartment where he was staying.

He said attackers kicked and punched him, smashed his phone, stole his shoe and even tried to pull his trousers off in the attack, which lasted more than five minutes before a neighbor raised the alarm.

The victim, who does not want to be identified, was left battered and bruised with visible facial injuries and said he could have died had the neighbor not intercepted the assault.

The man told the Campaign for Antisemitism: ‘I’m in shock. I just went downstairs to speak to a friend on the phone outside, [and] a group of six attacked me like animals. They kicked me down on the floor.’

He claimed that at one stage the assailants asked him if he was Jewish before they launched the vicious attack on The Grove, a quiet residential street near Golders Green Road, in the early hours of Monday.

He said: ‘They were wearing hoodies, sweatshirts and masks. They ran at me and attacked.

‘They said to me, “you are Jewish,” in Arabic. They said a word that means “b*****d” in English.’

He said he was ‘a thousand per cent’ sure the group were roaming the streets of the neighborhood, where close to 50% of residents are Jewish, looking to attack.

He continued: ‘I [heard] about antisemitism [in London], but it seemed far from me. I don’t think I’ll speak Hebrew in London.

‘I’m in shock … one took my shoes, he broke my phone […], they tried to take my trousers.

‘I felt like they were going to kill me.’

He said he had visited London many times and never imagined this would happen to him.

Residents of The Grove said they felt they were constantly ‘waiting for the next attack’ after a series of violent incidents in the area.

This includes the stabbing of two Jewish men last month, which took place a few hundred meters away.

It is also close to the site where four Jewish ambulances run by the charity Hatzola were fire bombed.

One father of four said: ‘We feel under siege. It seems to be that every day there is something. We fear for our families.

‘If there are gangs roaming and attacking Jews, they need to be caught as soon as possible. It must be a police priority.’

Another said: ‘It seems we are always just waiting for the next attack. This is a family street, it’s just appalling.’

The attack follows the stabbing of two Jewish men just a few hundred meters away last month.

Arson attacks on synagogues in nearby Finchley, as well as Harrow and Tower Hamlets, are also under police investigation.

The President of the Machzike synagogue, which was damaged in the ambulance attack, told Metro security needed tightening to protect the Jewish community.

Damon Hoff said: ‘Tensions are obviously running high, and naturally it’s a right of every citizen to be protected by the county.

‘I think the police have been given further resources and our local crime prevention organisations, CST and Shomrim, will need further training and funding to prevent future escalation.’

Rabbi Yehuda Black of the Kenton United Synagogue, which was targeted in an arson attack, said: ‘Well, I’m quite shocked but not surprised.

‘This is another example of a hate crime perpetrated against the Jewish community. People of all walks of life ought to be able to walk the streets perfectly peacefully without fear of physical or verbal attack.

‘The fact that this happened affects all our sensibilities, knowing that anybody can be attacked for who they are.’

Extra police patrols have been deployed in Golders Green backed by Shomrim, an organisation based in northwest London which works with the Community Safety Trust (CST) to provide volunteer officers and aid the Met Police.

A statement from the CST, which provides security for the Jewish community, said: ‘This was a violent and appalling attack in the heart of Golders Green. The incident is being treated by the Metropolitan Police as an antisemitic hate crime, and we thank them for their swift response.

‘CST is providing support to the victim and his family. We urge anyone who witnessed what happened, to contact the police and CST immediately. At a time of heightened antisemitism, incidents like this underline the very real dangers facing Jewish communities.’

The Met Police told Metro officers were called out shortly after 2am on Monday following reports that a Jewish man had been assaulted by a number of men.

Inquiries are ongoing.