A Facebook post shared in South Africa suggests the two lesbian women assaulted on a London bus in a 30 May 2019 homophobic attack was a staged hoax for Pride month.
It shows the viral photo of the bleeding women, with the caption: “When you've been beaten up by four men who you can't describe to the media because describing them is racist, so you instead pose for a victim shot to share with the liberal media so they have something to present during "Pride Month".
It then adds the hashtags #Staged and #Hoax.
It’s simply untrue that the women staged the attack. According to the New York Times, the London metropolitan police have CCTV camera footage of the event, and the perpetrators were arrested just a week after the attack.
The post also contradicts itself. It says the women wouldn’t describe their attackers “to the media because describing them is racist” – while still labelling the attack itself a hoax. Again, whether they could or would or have described their attackers is irrelevant – there’s footage of the event.
And the photo was not specifically shared “with the liberal media”. Rather, one of the women posted the picture, as well as a description of the attack, on her Facebook account. The post then went viral across social media.
Pride month – lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and intersex (LGBTQI) pride month – is celebrated globally every year in June to honour the 1969 Stonewall riots in Manhattan, New York.
The riots erupted after continued police violence against gays and lesbians. Stonewall is seen to mark the start of the gay rights movement. - Africa Check
It shows the viral photo of the bleeding women, with the caption: “When you've been beaten up by four men who you can't describe to the media because describing them is racist, so you instead pose for a victim shot to share with the liberal media so they have something to present during "Pride Month".
It then adds the hashtags #Staged and #Hoax.
Camera footage of event, and attackers arrested
It’s simply untrue that the women staged the attack. According to the New York Times, the London metropolitan police have CCTV camera footage of the event, and the perpetrators were arrested just a week after the attack.
The post also contradicts itself. It says the women wouldn’t describe their attackers “to the media because describing them is racist” – while still labelling the attack itself a hoax. Again, whether they could or would or have described their attackers is irrelevant – there’s footage of the event.
And the photo was not specifically shared “with the liberal media”. Rather, one of the women posted the picture, as well as a description of the attack, on her Facebook account. The post then went viral across social media.
Violence and homophobia
Pride month – lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and intersex (LGBTQI) pride month – is celebrated globally every year in June to honour the 1969 Stonewall riots in Manhattan, New York.
The riots erupted after continued police violence against gays and lesbians. Stonewall is seen to mark the start of the gay rights movement. - Africa Check
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