Teens Arrested for Allegedly Attacking Lesbian Couple on London Night Bus After They Refused to Kiss

Four teenaged boys between the ages of 15 and 17 have been arrested and charged with a hate crime after they allegedly brutally attacked a lesbian couple on a night bus in London earlier this year.

According to the Guardian, the women—Melania Geymonat, 28, and her girlfriend, Chris, 29—were onboard the bus early in the morning on May 30 when “a group of boys allegedly began demanding that they kiss and called them ‘lesbians’ after realising they were a couple.” The boys then assaulted the two women, who had to seek hospital treatment for their injuries following the attack.

Geymonat posted a photo on Facebook of her and Chris following the attack, along with a caption describing the events leading up to it:

They started behaving like hooligans, demanding that we kissed so they could enjoy watching, calling us ‘lesbians’ and describing sexual positions. I don’t remember the whole episode, but the word “scissors” stuck in my mind. It was only them and us there. In an attempt to calm things down, I started making jokes. I thought this might make them go away. Chris even pretended she was sick, but they kept on harassing us, throwing us coins and becoming more enthusiastic about it.

The next thing I know is that Chris is in the middle of the bus fighting with them. On an impulse, I went over there only to find her face bleeding and three of them beating her up. The next thing I know is I’m being punched. I got dizzy at the sight of my blood and fell back. I don’t remember whether or not I lost consciousness. Suddenly the bus had stopped, the police were there and I was bleeding all over.

Geymonat told reporters she spoke out about the attack “because this situation needs to change, and maybe this helps a little.”

“For me, it was a moral obligation. This needs to stop. This was a terrible episode, and maybe [if] we say something, we can contribute to something bigger,” she said, according to the Guardian.

The teens also allegedly stole a bag and a phone from the couple.

All four have been charged with an aggravated hate crime, and will be back in court on August 21.