Even in crazy times like this, hate spreads.
A 15-year-old boy was attacked outside of a McDonald’s in the U.K. this past weekend. According to the Liverpool Echo, the attack, which may have been influenced by homophobia, happened near a McDonald’s outlet in Huyton Village around 9 p.m. this past Saturday. The victim, whose identity has not been released, was standing outside with a group of friends when a soft drink bottle was thrown at him. The boy was then jumped by a group of teens slightly older than him.
Thankfully, a group of local security from a nearby supermarket broke up the fighting. The boy was then sent to the hospital for injuries to his face. The youth’s family are reportedly “in bits” over the attack and say the boy is “in a bad way.”
Police are now investigating the incident as a homophobic attack and have declared it as a hate crime. That said, they also acknowledge that there’s currently no evidence of any anti-gay slurs or comments being used during the violence. In addition, CCTV surveillance is currently being analyzed by detectives.
“Incidents such as this will not be tolerated and I would appeal to anyone who was in the area around Huyton Hey Road on Saturday night and saw anything to contact us,” said Detective Chief Inspector Craig Sumner in a statement to Echo.
“We are passionate about maintaining the right of all our communities to be treated with fairness, dignity and respect and by working closely with our partners will continue to work to eradicate hate crime of all forms.”
Anyone with information about the attack is being asked to reach out to Huyton Village’s local police through the @MerPolCC Twitter account or messaging @Crimestoppers using the reference number 20000162007.
Sources: The Liverpool Echo,
