Cafe boss & workers injured trying to defend themselves with tables and chairs from ’20-strong gang who harassed women’

A CAFE boss and his workers were injured trying to defend themselves using tables and chairs from a 20-strong gang who harassed women customers, he claimed. The brutal fight broke out on a street in Hendon, North London yesterday. CafeGenic owner Taeoufik Hannachi, 37, claims he went over to a group of men who were sitting […]

A CAFE boss and his workers were injured trying to defend themselves using tables and chairs from a 20-strong gang who harassed women customers, he claimed.

The brutal fight broke out on a street in Hendon, North London yesterday.

CafeGenic owner Taeoufik Hannachi, 37, claims he went over to a group of men who were sitting outside another cafe after they were harassing women at his business.

He told The Sun Online: “Recently there has been a bit of harassment, our staff have been harassed all the time on the street. 

“We were working like normal, that day there were two ladies sitting outside, one was being abused by someone sitting outside, showing her the finger and insulting her, she was so upset.

“So we went to speak to the business owner, and then a fraction of a second later we were attacked by more than 20 people.”

Mr Hannachi said he was forced to grab a table to defend himself and his staff.

“My neighbour was standing in the street and he was hit in the face with a chair. He saw the problem, came downstairs and got hit,” Mr Hannachi said.

“All my guys have bruises all over their bodies. We don’t want to get involved in this sort of thing at all.

“My guys were defending these two ladies because they were being abused in front of me.”

Mr Hannachi claimed he has been intimidated by members of the same gang since the brawl.

He said: “They pass three or four in groups and staring at me.  They’re always around here.

“I’m worried to even go to my car, someone might come and stab me and run off.

“They look at girls and abuse them and try to annoy them. I have families and kids here in front of the cafe. Imagine kids watching someone doing that.

“There are kids being abused in the street, women being abused.” 

Shocking footage showed the men charging at each other while swinging chairs as stunned onlookers watched on.

A person watching the scrap can be heard saying: “What are they doing?”

Some of the men could be seen picking up tables while others threw chairs.

After a brief exchange of blows with the furniture, two of the men fell to the ground in the street.

One brawler knocked into a parked car as he tumbled over.

After the two men hit the ground, one fighter armed with a table charged at his rivals and forced them to back off.

Some of the men then retreated away from the cafe as the fracas died down.

Staff could then be seen picking up the chairs and tables that had been left strewn across the road.

The Sun Online contacted the Met Police for comment.