Police investigate assault on Jewish pensioner outside London West End theatre

Police are investigating an assault on a Jewish pensioner that occurred outside a theatre in London’s West End.

Ronnie Phillips, 72, was leaving a performance of Leopoldstadt, a play about the Holocaust, at Wyndham’s Theatre last Thursday when he was “slapped round the head and his kippah thrown to the ground”, according to his wife Emma.

The Metropolitan Police said that officers attended “Charing Cross Road, WC2 shortly before 22:10hrs on Thursday 12th August to reports of a religiously-aggravated assault. Officers spoke to the victim. He was not injured during the incident. Enquiries are ongoing, no arrests. Anyone with information should call police on 101 or tweet @MetCC quoting 7778/12Aug.”

Campaign Against Antisemitism’s analysis of Home Office statistics shows that an average of over three hate crimes are directed at Jews every single day in England and Wales, with Jews almost four times more likely to be targets of hate crimes than any other faith group.