Police have launched an investigation after a large group of pro-Palestine demonstrators surrounded and attacked a lone Jewish Israeli man in Los Angeles. 

Santa Monica Police said the violence broke out on the iconic pier over Labor Day weekend, and that the man was ‘singled out because of his religious identity’. 

The victim identified himself as Ariel Yaakov Marciano during an interview with the Jewish Journal where he said one attacker also threatened him with a knife. 

Marciano also shared a selfie he took shortly after the attack, showing he sustained a head injury with blood pouring from his cranium down the left side of his face. 

Video posted online showed Marciano being surrounded by a large crowd before a man wearing a keffiyeh – a patriotic symbol of Palestinian identity – began punching him in the head.  

Santa Monica Police said the attack is being investigated as a hate crime and that it came after conflicting Israel and Palestine protests clashed. Several witnesses also told Fox News that Marciano instigated the fight.

Marciano, 24, told the Jewish Journal he was attacked by 20 young men in LA, where he had traveled from Sacramento to attend his cousin’s bar mitzvah. 

He said he was exploring the area when he came across a sea of masked pro-Palestine protestors waving Palestinian and Mexican flags. 

Police have launched an investigation after a large group of pro-Palestine demonstrators surrounded and attacked a lone Jewish Israeli man in Los Angeles. The victim identified himself as Ariel Yaakov Marciano (pictured in the aftermath of the violence)

Video posted online showed Marciano being surrounded by a large crowd before a man wearing a keffiyeh – a patriotic symbol of Palestinian identity – began punching him 

Santa Monica Police said the violence broke out on the iconic pier (pictured) over Labor Day weekend, and that the man was ‘singled out because of his religious identity’

‘I was wearing my Star of David necklace, I also met another Israeli man from Las Vegas, and we were speaking Hebrew, so they realized we were Israeli,’ he said. 

‘At that point, they attacked me. One of them hit me on the back of the head, and I started bleeding. Others pushed me around and tore the necklace off my neck. 

‘I pushed one of the masked attackers, and then they all jumped on me.’ 

Marciano said that he lost the man from Las Vegas amid the chaos, and he doesn’t know where he ended up. 

He added that his companion was also with his wife and two children, one of whom was disabled in a wheelchair. 

Marciano said he uploaded a video to Instagram showing his injuries, and said to his followers: ‘All Israelis in L.A., come to Santa Monica—they just lynched me here.’ 

Cops arrived at the scene and took Marciano to the police station. 

He told the Jewish Journal he began shouting ‘God bless Israel’ as he was escorted away, and a pro-Palestine protestor responded by pepper-spraying him. 

‘The police didn’t do anything, but I can’t really blame them. There were too many demonstrators, and there’s nothing much the police can do against so many,’ Marciano said. 

‘The ones who attacked me were Mexicans, and one tall black guy held a knife to me and said, ‘You’re lucky I’m not stabbing you.’

However, several witnesses told Fox News that the pro-Palestine protests held on the pier each Sunday are usually peaceful, and that Marciano instigated the fight.

Rabbi Joel Nickerson condemned the attack and said that even if Marciano did spark the tensions, the violence against him was still indefensible. 

‘As a Jewish community, our tradition has always leaned into diversity of views,’ the Rabbi told Fox11. 

‘There’s a difference between having a difference of opinion and moving from verbal communication and disagreement into physical violence, and that we cannot condone.’ 

Pictured: Other protestors at the demonstration on Sunday before the violence broke out. The people pictured were not involved in the attack against Marciano

Protestors carried Palestinian and Mexican flags at the demonstration in Santa Monica 

Santa Monica Police said the violence unfolded ‘during a pro-Gaza demonstration at Palisades Park that included a counter demonstration’. 

‘We are deeply troubled by an act of violence that took place on the Pier Sunday evening, where a man was surrounded, assaulted, and singled out because of his religious identity,’ the department said. 

‘This kind of hate has no place in Santa Monica. The incident occurred during a pro-Gaza demonstration at Palisades Park that included a counter demonstration. 

‘Officers responded to several disturbances between the two groups. Based on statements made and circumstances reported, detectives are investigating this as a hate crime.

‘The victim sustained minor injuries and was treated by Santa Monica Fire personnel at the scene.’

The department condemned ‘all forms of hate and antisemitism’, adding that the investigation remains active. 

The Daily Mail has contacted the department for information on whether any arrests have been made since.    

Anyone with information or footage is urged to contact SMPD’s Criminal Investigations Division or the Watch Commander 310-458-8427.

Antisemitic hate crimes have surged since the October 7th attack by Hamas terrorists against Israeli civilians close to the border. 

FBI data shows that last year, 18 percent of all reported hate crimes in America were committed against the Jewish community, who account for two percent of the population. 

This amounts to a 5.8 percent increase from 2023, when October 7th unfolded, according to Jewish Federations of America. 

Among all religiously-motivated hate crimes, the data showed that 69 percent targeted Jews.