A student from Singapore was left with a fractured face after he confronted thugs in London who punched him after they said ‘coronavirus’ to him.
Jonathan Mok had been walking through Oxford Street on February 24 when he passed a group of men.
The 23-year-old said one man told him he ‘didn’t want coronavirus in our country’ before kicking him on the ground.
Mr Mok suffered fractures and may now need reconstructive surgery after the incident.
He has lived in the capital for the last two years and claims he had already suffered racist abuse before the virus.
Jonathan Mok was left with a swollen eye and a bloodied nose after he was attacked on Oxford Street
It comes after it was revealed that a woman in Birmingham was attacked after she confronted a man who racially-abused her friend, telling her to ‘take your f****** coronavirus back home’.
Meera Solanki stood up for Mandy Huang but the man pushed her in the head and she was knocked unconscious, The Independent reported.
Another student Wenbin Wu, was also targeted in Kent because of his race.
Mr Wu who is studying at university in London, was on a day-trip to Margate in Kent when three teens fake sneezed and shouted ‘coronavirus’ as he walked past.
The 27-year-old, who studies computer science and finance at King’s College London, said one tried to pick a fight and followed him and his two companions until he started taking photos and recording them.
He said it was the first time in three years he has spent living in the UK that he felt singled out or abused for his race.
After the incident he said he asked the teenager to repeat what he had said to him, but they refused and just laughed.
Mr Mok had been walking along Oxford Street (pictured above) when he was set upon
Mr Mok detailed the attack in a Facebook post where he shared the incident with his followers
Mr Mok, who has an English father and Chinese mother has now branded the attackers as ‘cowards’ and told them to ‘grow a pair’.
He posted to social media last night: ‘I walked past a group of young men, when one of them said something to me. I could make out the word ‘coronavirus’.’
After Mr Mok turned and confronted the group he was set upon.
‘All of a sudden, the first punch was swung at my face and took me by surprise. When I was still shocked by the first hit, the guy delivered the second sucker punch. By then, a few passers-by had stopped and one of them tried to reason with them that 4 on 1 was not fair.
‘The guy who tried to kick me then said, ‘I don’t want your coronavirus in my country’, before swinging another sucker punch at me, which resulted in my face exploding with blood (from my nose), where the blood was splattered all across the pavement.’
Mr Mok added to the end of his post: ‘To the group of guys who saw fit to attack me because of my skin colour: here’s something for you- I stood up to you because I wasn’t afraid, I’ve faced far more intimidating characters in my life.
‘And if you think ganging up on someone who is sizeably smaller than you makes you a big man – it doesn’t. It only makes every single one of you a coward who doesn’t have the balls to take someone on 1 on 1. Grow a pair.’
He also posted images of himself shortly after the attack where his face can be seen to be splattered with blood.
In a more recent image, his eye has just about swollen shut and remains badly bruised.
Facebook users have wished Mr Mok a speedy recovery following the horrible attack and hope his attackers are brought to justice.
Social media users wished Mr Mok a speedy recovery and slammed those who attacked him
Danny Kim said: ‘Horrible, I hope you recover well and those pieces of s*** get caught and pay the price. I hope they catch the virus for being a******** too.’
Julia Ju Hee Kang commented: ‘I’m so sorry this happened to you.’
Darrick Americano posted: ‘A country and its citizens’ character truly shows during time of crisis. I hope the people that attacked you are brought to justice.’
A spokesman for Met Police said that the ‘racially aggravated assault’ happened in Oxford Street near Tottenham Court Road station at around 9.15pm on Feb 24.
The police said no arrest has been made, but they are currently trying to identify the suspects through inquiries and available closed-circuit television footage.