Jewish shopowner speaks of trauma after 'horrific' anti-Semitic attack
One of two Jewish men subjected to a "horrific" attack outside his shop has spoken of his trauma.
Police were called to the incident on Cadoxton Avenue in Haringey, on Wednesday at 9.50pm and arrested an 18-year-old man nearby on suspicion of actual bodily harm soon after.
Both of the victims were taken to a north London hospital where one was treated for a broken nose and fractured wrist.
The shopowner, who doesn’t want to give his name, showed a black eye, swollen jaw and sprained wrist.
“Very traumatising, very, very traumatising. I keep seeing this vision of this fist coming at your eye and you’re just lost in this experience you’ve never had before,” he told ITV News.
“I had a friend who told me that his son saw it, he came home and he was crying. He couldn’t fall asleep. That’s scary.”
Violence against Jewish people in London reached a “worrying” spike last spring following escalating tension in the Middle East.
A Freedom of Information request to the Metropolitan Police revealed 87 incidents were recorded in May, around four times higher than any other month in the past three years.
The latest incident, which is being treated as a hate crime, happened on the eve of Holocaust Memorial Day.
“We definitely feel that this is rising and we definitely feel that there is more of that and we feel more vulnerable, that’s for sure,” he said.
“This did not used to happen a year of two ago so much. It’s definitely increasing. I’m proud to be Jewish, even though I might be scared.”
Chief Superintendent Simon Crick, who leads policing in Enfield and Haringey, said: "On this most important day, this is an awful reminder that hate crime still exists.
"I know that Haringey residents will be upset by such a horrible attack and we won’t stand for anyone in our community being targeted or hurt.
"If you assault someone, you can expect us to do everything we can to investigate and find you.
"I’ve been in touch with members of the local Jewish community, and I’m providing additional patrols throughout the day to reassure the community. Please do speak to them if you have any concerns.
"I’d like to thank the members of the public who called us and asked us to come to the aid of these two gentlemen and grateful for their help, which meant we could locate a suspect."
Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he was “appalled” by the incident.
“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 antisemitism,” he said.
Home Secretary Priti Patel described the incident as an “absolutely despicable attack”.
She tweeted: “This, on the eve of #HolocaustMemorialDay, is a sickening reminder of why we must never allow antisemitism to take root. We won’t tolerate abuse towards our Jewish community.
“Thank you to the officers who responded swiftly to make an arrest.”
Malaki Thorpe, 18, of Fairview Road, Tottenham, will appear at Highbury Corner Magistrates’ Court on Friday charged with two counts of racially aggravated ABH and one count of possession of an offensive weapon.