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A man says he was left ‘fearful’ after being abused in the street while drinking coffee in a busy town centre.

Identified only as Michael, 30, he said he was approached outside Costa Coffee in St Albans at 2.15pm on Sunday by a man calling him a ‘dirty Jew’.

He was forced to stand between the man and his own children, two and three, and his toddler nephew in what he described as a ‘deeply, deeply unpleasant’ incident.

The man inexplicably shoved the pram with a one-year-old boy inside but when he was asked why he did it the man replied ‘because you’re a dirty Jew’.




Michael stood up to intervene and recorded him as he asked him to repeat what he had just said.

He then kicked a barrier towards him after pushing Michael’s camera away.

Do you know the smirking man who called a man in the street a ‘dirty jew’? (Picture: Supplied)

Efforts are being made to identify the man following the altercation in St Albans (Picture: Supplied)

He allegedly pushed a pram containing a one-year-old child for no reason (Picture: Supplied)

He said: ‘I was with my family and my sister-in-law’s family sitting in the outside seating area.

‘A man came along and shoved the pram my one-year-old nephew was in. My brother-in-law, the baby’s father, went over and asked what he was doing and why he pushed the pram.

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‘He said it was because “you’re a dirty Jew”. I took out my camera and asked him to repeat what he had said and he did.

‘He said sit back down and took a slap at my camera. Then he continued with the racist language and tried to kick the barrier in to me. And then he went on his way.’

He added: ‘It makes me feel fearful. It was deeply deeply unpleasant and gets your heart rate going.

As the confrontation escalated he kicked a barrier towards the family outside Costa in St Albans: (Picture: Supplied)

‘For the rest of the time I was conscious of my surroundings to try and make sure we weren’t attacked again.

‘We were there with my three-year-old daughter and two-year-old son. Myself and my brother-in-law stood up to protect our family by standing in between them so they were sheltered and distracted.

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‘I’d like to add that this isn’t the first time I’ve been racially abused. It seems to me that anti-semitism is rising in the UK.’

A spokesman for Hertfordshire Police said they are investigating the incident.

They said: ‘When the victim challenged the offender, he responded with racial abuse. The offender then kicked an advertising board at the victim before walking away and still using racially abusive language.

‘Officers are investigating and any witnesses, or anyone with information, should contact Hertfordshire Constabulary.’

Police said that they were investigating the incident describing it as racial abuse

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