The mother of an 11-year-old Jewish boy brutally assaulted at Belsize Park Tube station has said her ‘terrified’ family is now considering fleeing Britain following the shocking attack.
The woman, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said that her son is now ‘struggling to sleep’ and that he is ‘deeply shaken’ after being beaten up with his school friends in an incident currently being investigated by police as a hate crime.
Speaking to MailOnline she said: ‘There’s a lot of support being given by the British Transport Police and the school but my son is very shaken and he’s struggling to sleep.
‘He keeps asking “why me, why us?” We’re British, like everyone else is British.
‘And we love this country, and we participate and we contribute but now we’re being singled out in exactly the same way as Jews were singled out in 1936 in Berlin.
‘And for the first time in my life I am terrified of using the tube. What’s going on?’
Roughly eight year 7 students from Hasmonean High School for Boys were attacked on Monday evening
Pictured: Belsize Park Tube station, the location where the group of schoolchildren were attacked
On Monday evening a group of around 8 year 7 schoolchildren from Hasmonean High School for Boys were physically attacked on the platform of Belsize Park tube station by a gang of slightly older, currently unidentified children.
As the Jewish boys left school they were followed to the station by the assailants who were yelling racial obscenities at the group. This is not the first time they have harassed the Jewish school boys.
Once they reached the tube station the attackers ran in front of the children and tried to push one of the Jewish schoolboys onto the train track before giving up and throwing his skullcap onto the tracjs.
They then charged at another child and kicked him in the knees causing him to collapse.
Finally they elbowed a third child in the face causing his head to smash against the wall – dislodging his tooth.
As they did this the attackers allegedly yelled: ‘Get out of this city, Jew’.
Following this violent incident, the distressed mother now fears she may need to escape Britain which she worries may now be unsafe for Jews.
She said: ‘It’s a serious consideration to leave the country. It’s an enormous fear. Will we have to and if so, where are we supposed to go?
‘We’re from Britain, but what can we do? That being said, the police are being amazing and are taking it all very seriously.’
Students from Hasmonean High School are being encouraged by their school not to wear their school uniforms or any Jewish symbols in public to mitigate the risk of possible anti-semitic violence.
As the Jewish boys left school they were followed to the station by the assailants who were yelling racial obscenities at the group. Pictured: A property in Belsize Park
Responding to the violence London Mayor Said Khan said: ‘I utterly condemn this sickening attack against Jewish children.
‘Antisemitism has no place on the streets of London.’
A spokesperson for antisemitism charity CST added: ‘CST received reports on Monday of an alleged assault on Jewish schoolchildren that took place at Belsize Park tube station.
‘Thankfully it does not appear that anybody was seriously injured, but this was nonetheless a threatening and distressing incident for those involved and a further example of the unacceptable levels of antisemitism in our country.
‘CST is providing extra support and reassurance to the school as well as liaising with British Transport Police, who have confirmed that a hate crime investigation has been opened and will ensure additional police presence in the area.
‘Our ongoing priority is to ensure that Jewish children can go about their daily lives free from harassment and anti-Jewish hatred.’
The police are investigating the attack as a hate crime.
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