A gang of hooded men were caught on camera appearing to verbally assault and spew homophobic slurs at two people in a chicken shop.
Content warning: This story may include topics that could make some readers feel uncomfortable.
Valentino Kyriakou and Naya Martinez, a gay man and trans woman, can be seen confronting the men as they are ordered out of the establishment by them.
The two were seemingly waiting for food when the verbal attack began, with the culprits appearing to threaten to stab them.
“Get the f*** out now. Get out now. Get out the shop now,” the men can be heard shouting in the video.
“You come back, I’ll shank you both. I’ll shank you up. Get out. Take your f***ing bag and get out.”
The people in the chicken shop question what the “issue” is, before deciding to take their food and leave.
As they leave the venue, the group yell homophobic slurs at them and order them to never return.
Speaking to the BBC, Kyriakou said he was fearful that the attack would escalate to physical violence.
“They were calling us every name and then threatening to ‘shank’ us, which is obviously stab us in the shop, so we just had to leave without even getting all our food,” the victim said.
“I literally just thought they were about to stab us. They were just going crazy – it went from one to a hundred.
“They were so, so angry, I don’t know why. They literally were so threatened by us – it was crazy. And all we were doing was standing there waiting to pick up our food.”
In a statement issued to MyLondon, a spokesperson for the police confirmed that the incident is under investigation.
They explained: “Police were made aware of this video on Saturday, January 29 which shows an incident at a takeaway restaurant in Bridge Road, Wembley.
“Enquiries are underway to identify those shown in the video.
“No arrests.
“Anyone with information that could assist police is asked to contact 101 or tweet @MetCC and quote ref: CAD 6345/29Jan.”
Galop is an LGBTQ+ charity there for those who have experienced abuse or have been the victim of a hate crime. They can be contacted Monday to Friday from 10am-4pm on 0207 7042040 or at HateCrime@galop.org.uk. You can find out more about it here.
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