A violent gang in Kiev physically attacked a young gay couple after trying an experiment to see what social reactions they would get if they held hands or showed public affection.
Zoryan Kis and Tymur Levchuk from Bird In Flight TV repeated an experiment filmed by a Russian Vlog team, ChebuRussia TV, to see what would happen if two men showed affection in public in Kiev, unlike the Russian experience, Kis and Levchuck found themselves in the centre of a violent attack involving pepper spray and kicks to the head.
The shocking video reveals the real danger posed to openly gay men in the city of Kiev.
In the video, the two men start by holding hands around the city. Their actions weren’t met with anything more than stares. Kis said, “We never heard any insults and those people who did have a verbal reaction… we were like aliens to them.”
The couple then decided to heat up the action a little by sitting on each other’s lap and giving flowers. It was then that they were approached by a group of 10- 15 reportedly neo-Nazis, with one of them saying:
“It looks like they’re f**king mistaking this place for America.”
Luckily for Kis and Levchuk the attack was quickly broken up when a man in blue stepped into to separate the group, but not before at least three of the gang had landed kicks to the faces and bodies of the gay couple.
Neo-Nazi groups have been accused of violence and even the murder of several gay men in the last few years. In 2013 it was reported that neo-Nazis were posting fake personal ads in Russia in order to lure gay teens into an ambush.
In June 2013 an 18-year-old French gay rights activist Clément Méric was left brain dead after a violent attack by a gang of neo-Nazis.
The Uk’s Foreign Office warns gay travellers that, “Although homosexuality is not prohibited by law, public attitudes are less tolerant than in the UK and public displays of affection may attract negative attention. There is no provision under Ukrainian legislation guaranteeing freedom from discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation and there has been an increase in intolerance towards the LGBT community.”
