A Jewish man was reportedly punched and threatened with death in London on Saturday morning by an attacker from the Palestine Solidarity encampment outside Hackney Town Hall.

The Hackney resident was scraping off anti-Israel fly posters from the bus stop at 11.30am when the attacker ran towards him from the Gaza encampment.

The victim, who does not wish to be named, alleges that the man “shouted he would kill me; he grabbed and smashed my umbrella, hurling abuse, and swung a punch at me hitting me on the side of my face.”

Responding instinctively to the unprovoked attack, the victim punched the attacker and pushed him off. He told the JC that the man backed away but continued to shout verbal abuse and threatened him with hand gestures.

He described the suspect as a black man, over 30, approximately 5' 5", with a small beard and wearing a keffiyeh around his neck, as well as a large black woollen hat.

The attacker returned to the encampment outside the town hall and, using his hands like binoculars, pointed again at the victim, "as if to say he recognised me.”

The victim reported the incident to the police and was assured that “they would investigate as it was quite a serious offence.”

The victim criticised the council for allowing the demonstration in the gardens “which all citizens of Hackney own and admire and exemplify how they threaten and use violence against anyone who disagrees with them and their flags, graffiti and stickers.

“They have been empowered to use this violence with impunity on our streets by this decision to camp, rather than be evicted for aggravated trespass on the first day they arrived. Utterly unacceptable.”

He accused the council of “appeasing these terrorist-supporting thugs pre-election" and said he hoped the encampment would be removed.

The poster that the victim had been removing from street furniture was advertising a demonstration against Hackney Council which the local PSC branch says will show “the strength of feeling of our Hackney community towards its continued investment, through the pension fund, in firms complicit in human rights abuses of Palestinians and Gaza Genocide.”

Hackney PSC say they will send “a deputation” to the council pension committee meeting “to demand a motion to divest.”

The Hackney4pal Instagram account said it had decided to close the camp on July 9, when the delegation goes to the council.

The Met Police and Hackney PSC have been contacted for comment.