Jewish schoolgirls attacked by man hurling glass bottles in London, one badly wounded

A 14-year-old Jewish schoolgirl has been rushed to hospital with head and facial wounds following an attack in Stamford Hill on Monday evening, the local Shomrim (neighborhood security) reported on Tuesday afternoon.

Several young visibly-Jewish girls were walking from a bus stop to their school - Beis Chinuch Girls' School - for a rehearsal when a male attacker on a balcony pelted them with around a dozen glass bottles and plates, Shomrim told the Jerusalem Post. The attack took place on Woodberry Down Estate.

One of the girls suffered a significant hematoma and facial cuts and was rushed to the Royal London Hospital by Hatzalah, Shomrim added. She has since been discharged from the hospital, however, Shomrim told the Post that she and her friends were "badly shaken and traumatised by the ordeal."

"Evidence suggests the perpetrator had prepared the bottles and plates in advance, deliberately targeting the girls due to their visibly Jewish appearance," Shomrim continued. "Shattered glass was found as far as the school’s front gate, highlighting the force and intent of the attack."

Potential hate crime

Shomrim said that the police were able to identify the suspect's flat through CCTV footage, and conducted an arrest inquiry at 11pm, however the suspect was not present, and has not yet been arrested.

A police officer told The Jewish Chronicle that the police were unable to locate the suspect, and the incident is being treated as a "potential antisemitic hate crime."

Earlier this year, a 16-year-old Jewish boy was chased through Stamford Hill, an area of London with a large ultra-Orthodox Jewish community, by three males throwing stones.