‘I can’t imagine feeling afraid to take my husband’s hand’: Attack on two gay men on Leith Street prompts outpouring of fury

Edinburgh locals have reacted with outrage at the news of a suspected hate crime against two gay men in the city last week.
Watch more of our videos on Shots! 
and live on Freeview channel 276
Visit Shots! now

The couple, in their 30s, were assaulted and robbed by a group of thugs in Leith Street at around 9.20pm on Friday.

One eye-witness who contacted police told the Evening News that they saw a group of four men punching, kicking and spitting on of the victims before stealing a bag and fleeing the scene.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“The boys were laughing, egging each other on and calling the victims p**fs,” the eye-witness said.

It is understood that one of the couple was left hospitalised by the attack.

Read More
‘Abhorrent’ Leith Street assault officially being treated as a hate crime

Reacting to the news, Scott Cuthbertson, a manager at the Equality Network charity, told followers on Twitter: “Those who perpetrated this attack must be found and punished…but, this attack isn’t just down to these thugs.

“For a few years equally guilty parties have attacked LGBT people and our rights, although not physically.

The couple, in their 30s, were assaulted and robbed by a group of thugs in Leith Street at around 9.20pm on Friday.The couple, in their 30s, were assaulted and robbed by a group of thugs in Leith Street at around 9.20pm on Friday.
The couple, in their 30s, were assaulted and robbed by a group of thugs in Leith Street at around 9.20pm on Friday.

“This is the predictable outcome,” he added.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Meanwhile, Edinburgh Council Leader, Adam McVey, tweeted: “Horrific to hear of homophobic robbery & assault on a gay couple.

“Edinburgh is a Proud & safe City but this should worry us all.

“This isn’t the 1st violent, homophobic attack this year, my thoughts are with the victims this morning.

“We all need to unite to condemn these.

“But we also need to act when minorities are subject to different treatment in press,

workplaces & wider.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“We need to work together as a City to stamp out all root causes of hate.”

Jordan Daly, co-founder of Time for Inclusive Education (TIE), called the attack “Horrifying.” “This is why deciding to hold hands, or kiss, or cuddle in public is often accompanied by fear, and feels like a risk assessment.

“This is why whipping up prejudice against minority communities is dangerous. I hope the perpetrators are found.”

Lib Dem Inverleith Councillor, Hal Osler posted: “It’s amazing what some of us take for granted.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“I can’t imagine feeling afraid to take my husband’s hand, to kiss him, to feel comforted by him hugging me and making me feel safe and loved.

“This needs to change because this is something we should all have.”

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this article. We're more reliant on your support than ever as the shift in consumer habits brought about by coronavirus impacts our advertisers.

If you haven't already, please consider supporting our trusted, fact-checked journalism by taking out a digital subscription.