Police are hunting a gang of 20 young men who attacked a Polish man in what is being treated as a “racially-aggravated assault”.
The 28-year-old victim was repeatedly kicked and punched left hospitalised by cuts to his head.
The man, who has not been named, and a Polish friend were confronted by the group on Town Street in Leeds at 9:35pm on Friday.
Both men fled, but only one managed to escape. The victim was cornered in nearby Alliance Street and attacked by the group of 16 to 18 year-olds.
Police only arrived at the scene after a witness called 999 warning of a large group of youths surrounding the Polish man, who was bleeding on the floor, the Yorkshire Evening Post reported.
The incident is being treated as a hate crime due to comments made to the victim at the scene.
It came the same day Prime Minister Theresa May called her Polish counterpart to offer “deep regret” at the spate of post-Brexit attacks on Poles in Britain.
The PM phoned Beata Szydlo after one Polish man was murdered in Harlow, Essex, and two more were seriously assaulted in the same town a week later.
Downing Street revealed May said that “hate crime has no place in UK society” and accepted a request by the Polish foreign and home secretaries to visit London to discuss the incidents.
Of the most recent attack in Leeds, Chief Superintendent Paul Money said the unnamed victim was being supported by specialist officers and offered his reassurances to the Polish community.
“I want to reassure people, particularly the local Polish community, that we will not tolerate hate incidents of this nature and will do everything we can to ensure the people responsible are brought to justice,” CS Money said.
“Detectives from Leeds District CID are carrying out extensive enquiries into this incident and are checking CCTV in the area and speaking to witnesses.
“The victim is being supported by specialist officers.”