London ruffians injure Jewish girl, 8, in firecracker attack

A gang of thugs shot a firecracker at a group of ultra-Orthodox Jewish girls in London, injuring an eight-year-old girl in the leg and singeing her clothing.

The incident happened on October 21 and was caught on CCTV, the Daily Mail reported on Tuesday, after the local Jewish community protection group, Shomrim, posted the video online.

“The firework burnt some of her clothes and she suffered minor burns on her leg,” said Shulem Stern from Shomrim.

The victim, who was walking along a street in the Stamford Hill neighborhood of north London with three other girls, was shaken by the attack. One of the girls administered first aid to her at the scene, Shomrim said.

In the video, a gang of five people wearing hoodies obscuring their features can be seen standing at the side of the road. At one point, three of them run off, leaving two behind, one of whom aims a firecracker at the group of Jewish girls walking past on the other side of the road. The firecracker streaks into the cluster of girls.

The panicked girls can be seen running away from the scene as the assailant, in his own rush to escape, falls off his bicycle and runs away. His companion picks up the bike and tries to ride it, but an ultra-Orthodox man can be seen moving to intercept him.

A spokesman for the security group said that the girl was visiting London from Canada with her grandparents.

“The police attended the scene and spoke to the victims,” the spokesman said.

The girl’s parents lodged a complaint with police.

So far, no arrests have been made and police are continuing to investigate the incident.