Four teenagers, aged between 15 and 18, have been arrested for assaulting a gay couple on a London bus, reported BBC.
The teenagers allegedly tried to force the couple to kiss in front of them while making sexual gestures. The couple was punched and left bloody in the homophobic attack by these men, who had surrounded them.
British news outlets reported on the incident on Friday, 7 June.
‘The Men Kept Harassing Us’
Writing about the incident on Facebook on Thursday, 5 June, one of the women, Melania Geymonat, said the alleged attack took place last week on Wednesday, when she had a date with her girlfriend, named in the post only as ‘Chris’.
She went on to say that she and her partner “must have kissed or something,” an act that led to the group of four men coming after them.
She added that they were “behaving like hooligans” and demanded they kiss again “so they could enjoy watching.”
“In an attempt to calm things down, I started making jokes. I thought this might make them go away. Chris even pretended she was sick, but they kept on harassing us, throwing us coins and becoming more enthusiastic about it,” Melania wrote.
'Tired of Being Taken as a Sexual Object’
She went on narrate how the assault occurred, with the men punching Chris. Melania intervened, leading to her having her face bloodied too from being punched.
According to her Facebook post, Melania's nose may be broken and the couple's belongings were stolen in the incident.
“I’m tired of being taken as a SEXUAL OBJECT, of finding out that these situations are usual, of gay friends who were beaten up JUST BECAUSE. We have to endure verbal harassment AND CHAUVINIST, MISOGYNISTIC AND HOMOPHOBIC VIOLENCE because when you stand up for yourself shit like this happens.”Melania in her Facebook post
Investigation Underway; Politicians Slam Assault
Scotland Yard is investigating the incident, BBC News reported and officers are following up on CCTV footage of the assault, according to a spokesperson.
According to the police, the incident took place at 2:30 am and both women were taken to a London hospital for treatment for facial injuries, a Washington Post report said.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan called the incident, “a disgusting, misogynistic attack,” saying, “Hate crimes against the LGBT+ community will not be tolerated in London.”
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said the attack was "absolutely shocking".
With news of the attack spreading, thousands took to social media to express solidarity with the couple. According to The Washington Post, “Melania and Chris” trended in the United Kingdom on Friday.
(With inputs from BBC News and The Washington Post.)
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