Man Arrested After Anti-Semitic Attack in Belgium

Belgian paratroopers guard outside a Jewish school in Antwerp. (Reuters/Yves Herman/File)

On Wednesday night, at around 8 p.m., a man approached a 13-year-old chareidi boy on the corner of the Belgiëlei and Haringrodestraat streets in Antwerp, Belgium, next to the boy’s house. The man yelled at the child for no apparent reason. The child, shocked, did not respond. The attacker then grabbed the child by the throat.

The father, who heard his son scream, ran out of the house to see what happened and immediately ran towards the boy and the attacker. The attacker then turned his attention to the father, grabbing him by his peyos and pulling him down to the ground.

At that point, members of the Antwerp Shmira response team engaged the attacker and neutralized him, restraining him until police arrived.

The attacker was taken by the police. Official complaints have been filed.

The attack seems to be motivated by anti-Semitism, as the boy who was attacked is clearly recognizable as a member of the Jewish community. It seems that the negative press coverage of the Jewish community in Belgium during recent weeks played a role in the motive of the attack.

 

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