Attacked: Former serviceman Anthony O’Brien in hospital with black eyes and cuts after he was beaten up by the two thugs. (Daily Mail)
He was preparing for a comrade’s funeral at the time.
The Sun reported, via The Blaze:
AN RAF veteran told yesterday how he was battered in the street by two thugs who shouted: “Death to soldiers”.
Anthony O’Brien, 69, was head-butted and punched to the ground by the men.
The pair then fled. Grandad Mr O’Brien – who had been wearing his RAF blazer and a Remembrance poppy – was treated in hospital for bruising to his face and an injured nose. He said: “The yobs who did this to me are nothing but cowardly scum.”
Father-of-two Mr O’Brien, who served in the Sixties, was attacked walking home from the pub in Fallowfield, Manchester, where he and pals had discussed arrangements for an old colleague’s funeral. He said: “I saw these two lads and, as I got near, they started shouting and swearing.
“They were shouting, ‘F****** shoot all you bastards and blow your soldiers up. Death to all soldiers.’ I was scared.
“I was wearing my RAF blazer and poppy – I wear it regularly because it’s smart and I’m proud of it. I thought they were drunk or something. I told them to leave me alone but the little fella hit me on the side of my head.
“Then the other fella head-butted me. Then they ran away.”
The attack has left him in a wheelchair with heart trouble and breathing problems.
