Horror attack on eve of Holocaust day
SICKENING film footage captured a vicious attack on two Jewish men the night before Holocaust Memorial Day.
Images released by a neighbourhood watch team show the pair being beaten by a man as they were locking up a shop onWednesday.
One was treated in hospital for a broken hand and the other for bruising and an eye injury following the attack in Tottenham, north London.
An 18-year-old was arrested shortly after Jewish security group Shomrim said it had “located the suspect through CCTV inquiries”.
He remained in custody last night on suspicion of actual bodily harm.
The Metropolitan Police is treating the incident as a hate crime.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson yesterday said he was appalled by the incident. He added: “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 anti-Semitism.”
Home Secretary Priti Patel called it “a sickening reminder of why we must never allow anti-Semitism to take root”. She added: “Thank you to the officers who responded swiftly to make an arrest.”
Marie van der Zyl, president of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, said: “This was a dreadful, violent and unprovoked attack. Our thoughts are with the victims.” David Lammy, the
Labour MP for Tottenham, said: “The perpetrator of this despicable attack deserves the full force of the law.”
Shomrim (Stamford Hill) said: “The brutal, unprovoked attack saw the victims knocked to the floor by vicious punches to the head.”
Chief Superintendent Simon Crick, who leads policing in Enfield and Haringey, ordered extra patrols yesterday. He said: “On this most important day, this is an awful reminder that hate crime still exists.”
Mr Crick also praised people who raised the alarm, “which meant we could locate a suspect”.
Former health secretary Matt Hancock added: “Anti-Semitism has no place in our society. We must root out this vile hatred.”