A 16-year-old girl has been rushed to hospital after being pelted with glass bottles in a suspected hate crime in north London.
A group of young Jewish girls were on their way to a rehearsal on Monday evening when ‘around a dozen glass bottles and plates’ were allegedly thrown at them by a man on a balcony at Woodberry Down Estate.
The girl was badly injured and rushed to Royal London Hospital by Hatzola Ambulance volunteers.
Neighbourhood watch group Shomrim, which protects the Jewish population in Stamford Hill, said the attack had ‘deeply shocked the community’.
In a statement on X, Shomrim posted a video of the scene, which is close to a girls’ school, and said the street had been ‘covered in shattered glass following an antisemitic attack on Orthodox Jewish schoolchildren.’
It added: ‘The sheer volume of glass scattered across the area resembles the aftermath of a riot.
‘The force and distance of the thrown glass bottles reveal the deliberate and violent nature of this act.
‘These young children were targeted simply for their visibly Jewish identity.’
The group added in a post on X: ‘Shomrim are supporting the victims & their families whilst @MPSHackney investigate this abhorrent Hate Crime.’
The Met Police said it was called at 7.44pm on Monday to Woodberry Down Estate in Hackney following reports of an assault.
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The force said a group of schoolgirls had been walking through the estate when a bottle was thrown from the upper floor of a building.
It explained that a ‘girl was struck on the head and was taken to hospital. Her injuries have since been assessed as non-life changing’.
A Met Police spokesperson continued: ‘Officers attended the scene to carry out initial enquiries but were unable to locate the suspect. An investigation is ongoing.
‘The incident is being treated as a potential antisemitic hate crime.’
The London Ambulance Service confirmed that the Jewish ambulance service Hatzola had attended the scene.
Anyone who witnessed the incident can call 101, providing the reference 6966/26NOV or by contacting Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
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