June 24, 2014
Gay Couple Attacked by a Group of Teens in London:: Two Suspects in Custody
Jason St. Amand READ TIME: 2 MIN.
UPDATE - PinkNewsUK reports that Metropolitan Police confirmed today that two men were arrested in connection with this attack.
A group of up to seven teens allegedly attacked a couple just before midnight on June 13 in East London because they are gay, Pink News reports.
Walter Adrian, 23, and his boyfriend, who remains anonymous, were assaulted outside a bank on Whitechapel Road in East London after leaving a friend's birthday party.
According to the London Evening Standard, seven Bangladeshi teens on pushbikes approached the men as they took out money from an ATM.
"We weren't even holding hands or kissing or anything, but all the comments were based on us being gay," Adrian, a freelance journalist, told the newspaper. "One of them said 'fucking faggots' so we wanted to try and leave and my partner pushed one of them but then they got physical. They punched him and then there were six or seven of them just going at us while we were cornered against the wall."
He added: "They were saying, 'this is our street, this is our area, get out of here', just because they thought we were gay. It happens a lot round this area and East London. We weren't even acting gay and that's what's upsetting. Whether anyone is gay or not you just can't feel safe. You're scared of being attacked and afraid to go out by yourself."
Adrian was left unconscious and suffered bruises to his temple and stomach. His boyfriend has bruising to his jaw and said he feels like he's going to "'gay-down' a bit, that I should wear trousers and not skinny ones. We are not very gay, we don't wear pink or glitter, and they still picked on us."
"We are just scared and afraid it might happen again and it just shouldn't be like that," he continued. "You get these patrols that make you feel like you're trespassing in their area. I think it's a clash as people are starting to move into multicultural areas."
A spokesman for the Metropolitan Police told the newspaper the authorities were called at 1:40 a.m. on June 13 to respond "to reports of an assault in Whitechapel Road. Investigations continue."
