Image released after suspect 'told man he wanted to kill his first Jew'

23 December 2021, 16:07 | Updated: 23 December 2021, 16:48

A Jewish man has been attacked by an assailant who allegedly told him: "I want to kill my first Jew."

Police are investigating after the victim, in his 20s, was approached by a suspect near West Hampstead Overground Station on the evening of December 2.

That suspect made anti-Semitic comments and also damaged a Hanukkah display, the Metropolitan Police said.

Police have issued a CCTV image of a man they would like to speak with.

The Campaign Against Antisemitism said an attacker, having had no prior interaction with the victim, was pulling down the Hanukkah display and stamping on it before approaching the man, telling him "you look Jewish".

The charity said he told the victim he was "looking for a Jew to kill", but when the victim said he was not Jewish he was told: "Good, I want to find a Jew to kill."

The attacker left and police were called, but he was spotted later pulling down the display after it had been put back up.

After being confronted by the victim and a supermarket employee from a distance, the attacker shouted "I knew you were Jewish, you lied to me", walked towards the victim, and told him "I want to kill my first Jew", the charity said.

He then chased the victim into a supermarket, pushed him and punched him in the head a number of times and repeated threats, it is alleged.

Stephen Silverman, Director of Investigations and Enforcement at Campaign Against Antisemitism, said they were concerned the police response had initially been slow and added that "what this victim has suffered is unspeakable".

"This is the most heinous of a considerable number of anti-Semitic crimes that we have reported over the course of Chanukah," he added.

"The sad truth is that our nation's capital is not nearly as safe as it should be for Jewish people who wish to celebrate a festival or, in this case, simply go about their daily lives.

"Unless the police and the justice system step up and ensure that antisemitic criminals face the full consequences of their despicable actions, this will not change."

The Met said: "A second call was received at 19:36hrs during which the caller confirmed the suspect had returned.

"The call was graded as a priority requiring an immediate response and officers were dispatched to the scene. The Met receives many thousands of calls every day and it is not possible for every incident to be responded to immediately. Call handlers use the information they are provided to prioritise accordingly.

"If the information changes, such as in this incident, that prioritisation can change too."

Anyone who recognises the man is asked to call the Met on 101 or tweet @MetCC quoting reference CAD 6588/02Dec.

Alternatively, call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.