Greater Manchester PoliceA charity is offering a £5,000 reward for information leading to a conviction following an alleged antisemitic attack in central Manchester.
The Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA) said it had been supporting the victim, who said he was hit with what felt like a bottle by someone who shouted he was “responsible for the war in Gaza”.
The victim, who described himself as visibly Jewish, said he was walking in Exchange Square at 13:30 GMT on 3 February when he was “hit extremely forcefully.” He said the blow shattered his glasses and knocked him off balance.
Greater Manchester Police said the incident had been recorded as a hate crime and issued a CCTV still of a man they would like to speak to.
The victim told the CAA charity: “I thought I could have been blinded in my right eye, I put my hand to my eye and saw blood coming from the area.
‘Very traumatised’
“My immediate reaction was to get away before being further attacked, and I ran across the road to a crowd of people shouting for help,” he told CAA.
A witness then told the victim the alleged attacker had shouted that he was “a murderer” and that he was “responsible for the war in Gaza”, according to CAA.
The victim said a paramedic advised he get a scan on his eye, and he said he had been “informed that he had abrasions on his eye” as well as suffering bruising and cuts to his face.
The CAA said the man had suffered black dots in his vision, which still remained, and he was still “very traumatised by what happened”.
“I’m apprehensive walking around and now get nervous anyone could attack me at any time,” he told the charity.
However, he said his main concern was that the suspect had still has not been identified two weeks after the incident.
A spokesperson for CAA said similar incidents were becoming far too common.
“This victim’s testimony is horrific. Those responsible must be held to account,” the spokesperson said.
‘Everyone should feel safe’
“It is for this reason that we have issued a £5,000 reward for information about the suspect that leads to a conviction.”
In a joint statement, a spokesperson for Greater Manchester Police and the Community Security Trust said: “Hate crime in Greater Manchester will not be tolerated, and we will always endeavour to take action against those responsible for this type of offence to keep our communities safe.
“Hate crime comes in many different forms and strikes at the heart of communities, having a devastating impact.
“In Greater Manchester, we are proud to be made up of many diverse communities of people who live and work here, and everyone should feel safe and welcome when visiting our city-region.”
