A blind man was racially abused and attacked by a group of men attempting to steal his backpack.
The victim, aged in his 50s, was walking along Old Church Street, in the direction of Oldham Road, in the Newton Heath area.
As he was crossing the canal tow path he was approached from behind by a group of men.
The man, who requires the aid of a stick, was hit on the back of the neck by the men.
They attempted to steal his backpack before fleeing from the scene empty-handed.
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Members of the public intervened and followed the offenders to the Newton Heath tram stop.
A disturbance occurred before the men made off.
Witnesses described the offenders as Asian men, but no further details have been given by police.
Greater Manchester Police said the incident is being treated as a hate crime and enquiries are ongoing.
Inspector Dave England, of GMP’s City of Manchester division, said: “This is a cruel and callous attack on a vulnerable person, and we will do everything we can to trace the cowards who are responsible for this.
“Luckily the victim was not injured but understandably he has been left terrified by this frightening ordeal which is sure to have a lasting effect on him.
“I would urge anyone who witnessed what happened to get in touch with police as a matter of urgency.”
Information can be left with police on 0161 856 3921 quoting incident 2379 of 24/06/19 or the independent charity Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.
