Call for Islanders to stand up for minorities after bus attack

Call for Islanders to stand up for minorities after bus attack

The two women were left bloodied and battered after four youths, aged between 15 and 18, attacked them on a bus in Camden for reportedly refusing to kiss in front of them. All four have been arrested and questioned on suspicion of robbery and grave and criminal assault.

Now, Vic Tanner-Davy, chairman of Liberate, has called on Islanders of all sexualities, races and religions to report all incidents of hate – whether they are victims or witnesses. The States police this week launched their first hate-crime campaign – #StopHateJersey – which is due to run for three weeks.

Mr Tanner-Davy said that hate directed at the LGBT+ community is vastly underreported, as it is with most minority groups, and that Jersey’s Pride event, for all its positives, was usually a catalyst for violent hate in the Island.

‘Pride is a flashpoint every year that it is held in Jersey,’ said the 47-year-old. ‘Every year someone has had something happen to them and there are always comments.

‘We had one person who was punched on their way to Pride because they were carrying a flag – that person was actually straight. And there was someone who was attacked in a pub for wearing a Pride wristband – they were straight too.’

Mr Tanner-Davy, a transgender man, also threw his weight of support behind an Islander, known as ‘Pete’, whose verbal abuse at the hands of a group of men has recently been shared on social media.

The group of university-aged men shared a picture of ‘Pete’ on a private messaging group before unleashing a flurry of insults including comments about his weight, height and sexuality. One said: ‘There’s gay and then there’s proper bent’ while another commented ‘he’s only gay because no bird would touch him with a 5 foot pole’.

Comments then turned to threats of violence with one member of the group saying: ‘I’m gonna sort out Pete by killing him’.

The group then dared one another to add ‘Pete’ to the chat, which is how he discovered the messages that were subsequently shared on social media.

Mr Tanner-Davy said everyone will have their way of dealing with abuse but he urged people to report incidents to the police.

‘My message is report it. It might be the case that the police cannot prosecute, but you might provide evidence or information that helps with another case or inform them about the situation. It’s also good to talk. If you don’t want to go to the police, people can always contact Liberate.’

Liberate can be contacted at hello@liberate.je.

Mr Tanner-Davy said he had been fortunate in his life to have never experienced hate. ‘That is unusual,’ he added. ‘As whether you are in Jersey or in the UK, it is part of the challenge of coming out and why it is such a momentous step because you know you are becoming part of a community that is not always well thought of.’

Melanie Geymonat (28) was one of the women attacked on the London bus. She told the BBC she had experienced ‘a lot of verbal violence’ in her life.

Mr Tanner-Davy said: ‘We posted about the attack on our social media and it got one of the biggest responses. People are surprised it happened in London because it is such a melting pot. It is utterly horrifying and very frightening.

‘For lesbian couples there is still that sexual thing – this is nothing new. They still get the comments about threesomes and being asked to kiss in front of people – it’s usually after alcohol. It’s prevalent and anecdotally is happening in Jersey.’

To report hate, call the police on 612612 or Crimestoppers on 0800555111. Stop Hate UK, which is partnered with the States force, also has a 24-hour helpline: 08001 381625.

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