In an apparent racist assault, an Indian-origin Jew was thrashed and brutally beaten by two Israelis in Tiberias city of Israel. The perpetrators, who mistook him for a Chinese man, screamed “Corona! Corona!” while manhandling him, according to media reports.

28-year-old Am-Shalem Singson, who hails from the North-East, was admitted to the Poriya hospital with severe injuries on Saturday, a leading Israel TV channel reported.

The police have registered a first information report and are investigating the matter based on CCTV footage retrieved by them. Singson told the police that he tried to tell the attackers of his origin and that he was not infected with the virus, but it did not help.

According to media reports, Singson, who belongs to the Bnei Menashe tribe, immigrated to Israel with his family member three years ago.

Expressing concern over the incident, Michael Freund, Chairman and founder of Shavei Israel, an organisation working on the immigration of Bnei Menashe to Israel, said he was shocked to see such racial attacks happening in the city, a Channel 13 report said.

In an interview with the local TV news channel, Freund said: "I demand that the Israeli police investigate the incident immediately and prosecute those who committed this heinous act."

Suggested keywords: Israel, racism, coronavirus, China, India, Manipur, Mizoram, Jew

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