Gay men in Birmingham attacked with bottles in ‘appalling’ homophobic assault
Victims Ron and Patrick were attacked by a group of men in the city's Gay Village in the early hours of Sunday (15 August).
Words: Alastair James; pictures: Twitter/@LindaRiley8
Police in Birmingham are investigating after two gay men were the victims of an “appalling” homophobic attack in the city’s Gay Village over the weekend.
The two men – both in their thirties – were outside the Missing Bar on Bromsgrove Street early on Sunday (15 August) morning when a group of men in an SUV shouted homophobic abuse at them before physically assaulting the pair with bottles.
One of the victims had their phone taken from them and a friend in their twenties suffered an injury trying to recover it.
“An absolutely appalling attack”
West Midlands Police say the homophobic attack took place at around 4am on Sunday morning (15 August) when the two men – identified online as Ron and Patrick – were standing outside the Missing bar in the city.
One of the two men received lacerations to their head and hands while the second man was knocked unconscious and also suffered cuts to their head and arms.
A friend of the couple injured their foot when trying to recover one of the men’s phones and being dragged along by the vehicle.
Woke up today to these messages- Ron & Patrick were brutally attacked outside @MissingBarBrum last night. Another Day, another horrific homophobic attack on the #LGBTQI community. – These attacks are unfortunately becoming more & more frequent. 😡 pic.twitter.com/Pa1gJz531i
— Linda Riley (@LindaRiley8) August 15, 2021
Police say they’re carrying out “urgent enquiries” to identify the attackers and the vehicle. The men in the car have been described as being of Middle Eastern or Asian descent. Police are recovering CCTV footage and contacting the victims for more information.
Inspector Steve Lloyd from Birmingham Police says: “This was an absolutely appalling attack and robbery on people just trying to enjoy a night out in the city centre.
“They’ve suffered homophobic abuse before being physically injured, and we are working incredibly hard to find those responsible. We’ll be working closely with businesses in the area, and the Southside BID, to reassure them that we are taking this appalling hate crime very seriously.”
Speaking to Birmingham Live, Southside BID, a group of cultural businesses in the Southside area which includes The Missing Bar, says: “All we can say is that this kind of behaviour is totally not acceptable, especially in Southside which is the most diverse part of our city.
“We will do all we can to help police find and prosecute these homophobes.”
Responding to a tweet by Linda Riley, the publisher behind Diva Magazine, naming the two men, Birmingham Pride described it as a “horrific” attack and sent their best wishes onto the couple.
This is horrific. Sending our love and solidarity to Ron & Patrick. Thank you to @SouthsideDist safe space who took care of them after this awful, homophobic attack.
— Birmingham Pride (@BirminghamPride) August 15, 2021
Our best wishes go out to the couple and their friend following this horrendous assault.
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