A 69-year-old Jewish man was assaulted on the afternoon Feb. 26 in the London Borough of Islington, according to the Islington Gazette.
The man, who has not been publicly identified, was reportedly standing at the Highbury Corner roundabout when the assailant asked him if he was Jewish. The assailant then repeatedly punched him.
Eyewitness Marian Kennedy told the Gazette, “The old man wasn’t aggressive. He was just taking the blows. He kept going: ‘Please stop.’ Blood was pouring from the old man’s mouth and his body must have taken a lot of blows. The attacker ran off very fast. He was manic.”
The victim’s injuries are not believed to be life-threatening.
A 44-year-old man, who has not been publicly identified, was arrested on Feb. 27 in connection with the attack.
Anti-Defamation League CEO Jonathan Greenblatt tweeted, “#AntiSemitism overseas continues to rise & we cannot allow this to go on. We stand with the UK Jewish community & everyone fighting against this #hate.”
A 69-yr-old Jewish man with a cane was brutally beaten in an alleged #antiSemitic attack in the UK. #AntiSemitism overseas continues to rise & we cannot allow this to go on. We stand with the UK Jewish community & everyone fighting against this #hate. https://t.co/K1zX6F5Bzi
— Jonathan Greenblatt (@JGreenblattADL) February 27, 2019
An organization called Stand Up to Racism is holding an anti-racist vigil and protest in London’s Highbury district on the evening of Feb. 27 in response to the attack.
