18-year-old scared to go clubbing after homophobic Nottingham nightclub attack
An 18-year-old man says he is scared to go clubbing again after being subjected to a homophobic attack. The University of Nottingham student, who wished to remain anonymous due to safety concerns, was assaulted in the early hours of Sunday morning [November 26] while on a night out at Ink nightclub in Queen Street in Nottingham[1] city centre[2]. The attack happened after the 18-year-old had his hair pulled by another man.
In response, the student ‘showed him the middle finger’, after which he was punched in the face ‘multiple times’ and called homophobic slurs. He said: “I got very shaken up because physically, I’m not an intimidating guy at all. I’m 5ft4, I’m quite skinny, I’m quite a small guy, so I did feel quite shaken up and upset because I hadn’t done anything wrong.
“I was quite upset and it’s quite embarrassing as well because now my lip is swollen and my face is sore. The bouncers’ reaction made it even worse because they’re supposed to give support, but they didn’t do anything.” The student added that a bouncer stood next to a booth where he was sat with his friends following the attack ‘to make sure I wasn’t punched again’.
However, the boy claims another bouncer walked away from him after he couldn’t find a picture of his attacker on his phone. He explained: “I was quite traumatised and still crying and then a woman came up to me to ask if I had a picture of the guy but when I couldn’t find one fast enough she told me ‘you’re not being cooperative’ and just walked away.” The student added that he had submitted a complaint to the club, but at the time of publication hadn’t received a response.
Nottinghamshire Police officers are now investigating the reports. A Nottinghamshire Police[3] spokesman said: “We are investigating after a report of a hate incident at a venue in Queen Street, Nottingham, in the early hours of Sunday, 26 November 2023. An 18-year-old man was reportedly subjected to homophobic abuse and punched in the face at approximately 2am.
“Anyone who witnessed the incident or has any information that could help the investigation is urged to call Nottinghamshire Police on 101, quoting crime reference 23*731643.” A University of Nottingham[4] spokesperson said: “We take the safety of all our students extremely seriously and will not tolerate violence, harassment or hate speech anywhere, either on our campuses or out in the community.” Martin Stone is a trustee at the Notts LGBT+ Network[5], a charity that has been offering support and guidance to Nottinghamshire’s LGBTQ+ community for nearly 50 years. He said: “Early this year, the UK tumbled to 17th in a list of the safest countries for LGBTQ+ people in Europe.
“Nine years ago, we had been at number one in the annual league table of 49 European nations from Rainbow Europe – and one of the main reasons for the fall was the increase in homophobic attacks. The latest Home Office figures show an increase of sexual orientation hate crimes in England and Wales of 41 per cent, which is the largest jump since current records began in 2012. “If you look solely at transgender identity hate crimes, that number is even higher at 56 per cent.
The sad reality is there will be many more that aren’t included in those figures as around one in eight incidents go completely unreported. “As a charity, we are having active discussions with both Nottinghamshire Police and Nottinghamshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner about what more can be done to combat this type of incident. Ultimately, it is unacceptable for LGBTQ+ people to be living in fear and, as a network, we will continue to create a safe space and show we are a community united against hate crime.
“We would advise anyone to report any form of hate crime to Nottinghamshire Police, which can be done online or by phone. This rise in hate crime is certainly having an impact on the LGBTQ+ community. “We receive calls and texts to our helpline from people who are genuinely worried.
Of course hearing about attacks themselves are concerning, but there is also a growing trend for anti-LGBTQ+ sentiment on social media too.”
Ink nightclub has been approached for comment but hasn’t responded in time for publication.
References
- ^ Nottingham (www.nottinghampost.com)
- ^ city centre (www.nottinghampost.com)
- ^ Police (www.nottinghampost.com)
- ^ University of Nottingham (www.nottinghampost.com)
- ^ Notts LGBT+ Network (www.nottslgbt.com)