London: Young Man Attacked After Speaking Hebrew on the Street

A young Jewish man was beaten on a street in London by five Arabic speakers who heard him talking on his cellphone in Hebrew. London police said today (Monday) that the incident took place last night, and no suspects have been arrested so far.

The victim, a 24-year-old Israeli, said that he left an apartment in the Golders Green neighborhood in the evening and began speaking on his cellphone. Suddenly, five men speaking Arabic surrounded him. They beat him all over his body. The young man tried to protect himself until he collapsed and fell to the ground, barely conscious. The attackers fled the scene. A neighbor heard the commotion, called the police, and the young man was evacuated for treatment. He is suffering from multiple injuries to his face, head, and upper body.

Speaking with the British-Jewish newspaper Jewish Chronicle, the victim said: "I had this feeling, like I thought I was going to die. They caught me completely off guard. I was not prepared. I saw them coming toward me, and I had a suspicious feeling about them, but in one second suddenly one of them ran at me and jumped on me."

"They dragged me across the road, formed a circle around me and started kicking me again and again, while I was trying to protect myself. They shouted at me in Arabic. The attack lasted about five minutes."

London police said the investigation is ongoing. According to the police, "We are calling on anyone who witnessed the incident to contact police immediately. At a time of rising antisemitism, incidents like this highlight the real dangers facing Jewish communities." Police said the incident is being treated as an antisemitic hate crime.