A celebratory night out for a lesbian couple in downtown Halifax, Canada turned into a harrowing ordeal when they became victims of an alleged homophobic attack. Emma MacLean and her girlfriend Tori Hogan were out celebrating Emma’s birthday when a group of men began catcalling them, which quickly escalated into a brutal physical assault. The attack left the two women with multiple bruises, a chipped tooth, a broken nose, and lumps over their bodies.
Same-sex couple was beaten by mob of homophobic ‘Middle Eastern men’
Emma reported that they were attacked by a mob of “Middle Eastern men,” believed to be from Syria and aged between 18 and 25, according to The Sun. In a Facebook post, she shared pictures of her injuries and recounted the incident: “One particular individual, wearing a red shirt with a walking boot, initially made a sexually degrading comment to me.”
She continued, “My partner Tori and this man got into a verbal altercation where this individual made several disgusting slurs, some being homophobic. Following this, the 7-10 men attacked me and my partner, throwing several punches and kicks to our faces, ribs, etc.”
Injuries and aftermath
In one of the photos shared on social media, Emma is shown with blood dripping from her nose to her mouth. “The outcome of this attack has resulted in a broken nose, chipped tooth, several bruises, and lumps on our head, faces, etc,” she said, adding, “We are extremely thankful that things were not worse.”
Bystander intervention
A video captured by a bystander shows the group of men attacking the two women in Nova Scotia. “Hey, she’s a girl, stop!” a woman can be heard shouting in the clip. “What the f–k’s wrong with you?!” said another woman. Emma told CTV News that one of the men pushed her partner, Tori, onto cement stairs. “That’s when all the men started punching and kicking her,” she said.
