An Orthodox Jewish man who was visiting from France was sucker punched by an Arab near Chez Benny on Monday afternoon.

The man, a 33-year-old native of Paris, was visiting his sister and brother-in-law, and both families went out for lunch at Chez Benny on Queen Mary near Westbury.

At around 2:30, they left the restaurant. As they walked toward their car, they discussed the current situation in Gaza. Walking in front of them were a young Arab man carrying a black leather bag, and a young black man. Both were wearing t-shirts, jeans and running shoes. Both looked well-built and stood around 6 feet.

Then suddenly, the Arab man stopped and turned around. Then, without warning, he sucker punched the Yarmulke-wearing French Jew, knocking his glasses off.

The victim’s brother-in-law was walking in front of the assailants, and called out after them. The assailants fled, and the brother-in-law chased the black man into the Snowdon Metro, where he told his pursuer “I didn’t do anything,” and then got away.

Yanky Solomon was getting out of his car on Queen Mary, and saw a young Jewish couple in distress. As a member of Hatzoloh, a Jewish Emergency Volunteer Service, he rushed to help the injured man, who had ducked into the nearby Pharmaprix for safety. “He had a pretty bad bruise under his right eye and was visibly shaken,” reported Solomon. “He kept saying ‘this is Paris all over again. Quebec is going to be the new France.’”

When the police arrived, they tried to discourage the victim from filing a police report, according to the victim’s brother-in-law. “They told him that he was going to France anyway, and that the descriptions were too vague for them to find someone,” he said. “They also said that they can’t do anything to the black man since he didn’t throw the punch.”

“It’s ironic that my brother-in-law is from France and throughout his visit he kept telling us how lucky we are that we’re safe here,” he added. “Then this happened. He was attacked for being a Jew, and the police were not supportive or helpful at all.”

After filing the police report, the victim started feeling nauseous. Despite calling an ambulance, the police left before it arrived. The brother-in-law, who is a surgeon, took the victim home and has been monitoring him, worried that he may have suffered a fracture in his face.

Aside from filing the police report, Bnai Brith Canada was notified. For their part, Bnai Brith has noticed an increase in attacks on Jews throughout Canada. They recently issued a press release informing the community to remain vigilant and report any attacks. “In Toronto, a protest outside the Israeli consulate featured a large number of anti-Israel and antisemitic canards — many of which have been cast at Jewish communities for centuries — and ISIS is continuing its drive to recruit Canadians to fight overseas, two of which have been killed fighting for the terror group this year. These facts, combined with the ever growing threat of homegrown radicalization and terrorism means that we cannot grow complacent,” reads their release. “This is why we are encouraging community members, and indeed all Canadians, to be aware of their surroundings and report any suspicious activity to police and the B’nai Brith Anti-Hate Hotline at 1-800-892-BNAI (2624).”

(Source: bill613.com)