An elderly Jewish man with a walking stick was allegedly attacked in Islington, London. The defenseless man, said to be in his 70s, was reportedly left with “blood pouring from his mouth” in a completely unprovoked attack.

The attack took place in Highbury Corner at around 2:15PM on Tuesday. Police have arrested a 44-year-old man and are treating the incident as a hate crime.

The victim was repeatedly punched in the face as he lay bleeding on the ground, eye-witnesses told the media.

An eyewitness, Brittany Russell, told the Islington Gazette that it was “definitely a hate crime.” She said that: “The old man told us that he was standing there to catch his breath when the man came up to him and was asking if he was Jewish. Following that the man started to hit him and that’s when I was walking past with my mum.”

Speaking to the paper, another witness, Marian Kennedy, said that: “He was punching him violently and right in the face with a closed fist.”

“The older gentleman was utterly defenseless. He was being hit really hard and my instinct was jump between them but there was so much rage and violence. There was nothing I could do. The older man was not retaliating at all. He was just standing there as the guy repeatedly swung.”

She added that: “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 witness said that the alleged attacker claimed that the elderly Jewish man had hit him with the stick but she doubted his claim, saying: “The old man wasn’t aggressive. He was just taking the blows. He kept going: ‘Please stop’.”

Chief Superintendent Raj Kohli tweeted: “So very sorry for the victim, his family and the wider Jewish community for this awful and targeted attack. Hate crime is vile, unacceptable and makes minority communities feel vulnerable. The Metropolitan Police Service in Camden and Islington will do our utmost to find out who did this.”

There was a 79.6% increase in the number of anti-semitic hate crimes reported in Islington in the 12 months to October, rising from 13 offences to 23.

So very sorry for the victim, his family and the wider Jewish community for this awful and targeted attack. Hate crime is vile, unacceptable and makes minority communities feel vulnerable. @MPSCamden and @MPSIslington will do our utmost to find out who did this.

— Chief Supt Raj Kohli (@MPSRajKohli) February 27, 2019

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