Man Charged With Religiously Aggravated Assault in Attack on U.K. MP Galloway

U.K. authorities have charged a man with religiously aggravated assault in an attack on Member of Parliament George Galloway on Friday, media reports say.

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The suspect, Neil Masterson, 39, of Campden Hill, is to appear at Hammersmith Magistrates Court on Monday, reports quote the Metropolitan Police as saying.

Galloway, the Respect Party representative for Bradford West, was posing for pictures with constituents when a man jumped on him and started hitting him, a spokesman for the legislator told news outlets.

Photos show the MP with bruises on his head, and reports say he may have broken ribs and a broken jaw. The MP was taken to a hospital on Friday and stayed overnight, reports say.

The attacker shouted remarks about the Holocaust, the reports say. Incitement to hatred and discrimination on the basis of nationality and race are illegal in the U.K., JTA reported.

Masterson also was charged with common assault on a man who tried to help Galloway during the attack, the reports say.

Galloway was questioned by the police earlier this month for declaring the city of Bradford "an Israel-free zone." He urged the city to reject all Israeli goods, services, academics and even tourists.