A Jewish young man wearing a kippah was violently attacked in Paris on Friday afternoon as he was returning home to prepare for Shabbat.
The assault took place just days after a similar attack on a Jewish woman and two weeks after 40 men assaulted two Jewish youths in the city.
Friday’s incident took place at 6 p.m. on Paris’ Rue Manin in the 19th arrondissement closed to the Buttes Chaumont park, a neighborhood where many Jewish families live.
The victim, a 16-year-old, was approached by three men described as “North African” who robbed and assaulted him, stole his shoes, and smashed his cellphone on the ground. The attackers were aged between 17 and 20 years old.
The group then began to beat him. Two of the assailants held the victim back while a third repeatedly struck him in the body and head. One of the young man’s eyes was severely injured.
According to a witness who spoke to police, during the attack another individual who was passing by, also described as of North African origin, approached the group, but instead of assisting the victim, he encouraged the attackers to “break” the Jewish teen.
The assailants finally fled when a nearby girl of Asian origin called the authorities. The victim was hospitalized and underwent an emergency eye surgery.
A complaint was filed with the police. The National Bureau of Vigilance Against Anti-Semitism (BNVCA), a watchdog monitoring anti-Semitic attacks in France as well as assisting victims, urged police to take all steps to identify and arrest the aggressors.
This latest attack occuured a few days after a Jewish woman was assaulted by three people of African origin.