A cyclist from online delivery company Deliveroo is seen in Paris during the March 2020 COVID-19 lockdown. Photo: Reuters/Hans Lucas Pictures.

Police in Rome are searching for a food delivery courier who stabbed a fellow courier outside a McDonald’s in the Italian capital over the weekend, following a row between the two that involved antisemitic insults.

The victim, who was working for the Just Eat delivery service, had been waiting for food outside the restaurant alongside the assailant, a courier for rival service Deliveroo. The assailant was reported to have been ranting offensively about Jews as they waited. When the victim protested the antisemitic invective, the assailant produced a knife and assaulted him. The victim was left with lacerations to his face, but was not seriously harmed.

While details of the incident remained sketchy on Tuesday, both men are reported to be middle-aged. The knife-wielding courier fled on his bike following the attack.

The incident marks the second time this year that a courier working for Deliveroo — a UK-based company — has been implicated in an antisemitic outrage while carrying out their duties.

In January, two kosher restaurant owners in the French city of Strasbourg reported that at least two delivery men had refused to collect food from their premises because of their hatred of Jews.

At the time, Deliveroo pledged to take action, saying that the company had “no tolerance for antisemitic words or actions, which constitute a criminal offense, and condemns any such act in the strongest possible terms.”

Deliveroo operates in several countries in Europe, the Middle East and Asia. The company plans to raise $1.38 billion from its forthcoming initial public offering (IPO) on the London stock exchange in April.