A lesbian couple is recovering from their injuries after allegedly being beaten up by a mob of “Middle Eastern” men in downtown Halifax, Nova Scotia. Emma MacLean and her partner, Tori, were walking down the street on the evening of June 22 when she said members of the group accosted them, levelling “sexually degrading” and “homophobic” comments at them. When they stood up for themselves, the men attacked.
Police arrived on scene a short time later, and spoke with members of the group, who claimed it was the women who had gone after them. An investigation has been launched, however no suspects have been identified and no charges have been filed.
In a post on Facebook, MacLean described the men as being between 18 and 25 years old, and likely from Syria. She explained that “one particular individual, wearing a red shirt with a walking boot, initially made a sexually degrading comment to me,” at which point “Tori and this man got into a verbal altercation where this individual made several disgusting slurs, some being homophobic.”
MacLean said that during the ensuing beating, the men “attacked me and my partner, throwing several punches and kicks to our faces, ribs, etc.” She suffered a broken nose and chipped tooth, while they were both left with “several bruises and lumps on our head, faces, etc.”