Police are investigating an attack on a young Jewish man who was visiting London from Israel, who says he was kicked and beaten by a group of men.
The 22-year-old, who doesn’t want to be fully identified, suffered injures to his face, neck and back in the assault in The Grove, Golders Green in the early hours of Monday.
He told the BBC: “They kicked me like an animal and didn’t stop. They were shouting ‘Are you Jewish’? I was thinking they could kill me.”
The man was taken to hospital for treatment but has since been discharged. The Metropolitan Police is treating the attack as an antisemitic hate crime. No arrests have been made.
The victim told the BBC he was speaking to friends on the phone when a group of about five men who he believes were speaking Arabic swore at him and attacked him.
He said he tried to protect his face as the men ripped at his trousers and left him with one shoe.
The victim said he believed he was targeted because he was speaking Hebrew and was Jewish.
The Met Police said officers were called out shortly after 02:00 BST on Monday following reports that a Jewish man had been assaulted by a number of men.
Inquiries are ongoing, the Met said.
The man told the BBC that although he had heard about recent antisemitic attacks in London, he had not previously been scared by them.
“It felt far away for me and I was feeling safe. But now when it’s happened to me, I think something big needs to change in London, and in Europe.”
Despite the assault, he says he will return to London to see his friends and family.
The Community Security Trust – a Jewish security charity – said: “This was a violent and appalling attack in the heart of Golders Green.
“At a time of heightened antisemitism, incidents like this underline the very real dangers facing Jewish communities.”
The Met Police is appealing for any witnesses to the incident to come forward with information.
Earlier this month, the Met announced it would set up a dedicated team of 100 additional officers to protect London’s Jewish communities.
The force said the new Community Protection Team would comprise of officers from neighbourhood policing, specialist protection and those with counter terrorism capabilities.
