Pinoy, Canadian hurt in UK homophobic attack
FOREIGN Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. ordered the Philippine Embassy in London to extend assistance to two individuals, one of whom a Filipino, who were attacked at Birmingham’s gay village.
“I expect our London Embassy to take them in and care for them. Make sure it happens. Right away. I want to see a photo of these victims inside our Embassy,” Locsin tweeted on Tuesday.
In a statement, the Philippine Embassy in London said its Assistance-to-Nationals team is “closely coordinating” the incident with local officials in Birmingham.
Husbands Rob, a Canadian, and Patrick, a Filipino, sustained lacerations and cuts when they were attacked with glass bottles outside the Missing Bar in Birmingham on Sunday.
News reports said the victims left the bar when they saw four men in an SUV and asked them in jest if it was their birthday.
“They did not like that and went into all sort of foul language, including homophobic slurs directed at us,” a BBC article quoted Rob as saying.
One of them snatched a phone from Patrick who tried to film the incident and knocked him unconscious. Trying to help, one of their female friends attempted to retrieve the phone but was dragged along with the car “halfway down the street.”
Rob reportedly chased after them and was later joined by Patrick but when they stopped at a red light, the assailants got out of the vehicle and attacked them with bottles.
