Yesterday, former rugby player Gareth Thomas posted a video on Twitter sharing that he was attacked in Cardiff, Wales because of his sexual orientation.
In the video, Thomas says:
“This morning I’ve decided to make what I hope will be a positive video. Last night I was a victim in my home city of a hate crime for my sexuality. Why do I want it to be positive? Because I want to say thank you to the police who were involved, who were very helpful and allowed me to do restorative justice to the people who did this because I thought they could learn more that way than any other way. And also to the people of Cardiff who supported me and helped me because there’s a lot of people out there who want to hurt us. But, unfortunately for them, there is a lot more that want to help us heal. So this, I hope, will be a positive message.”
In addition, Cardiff police later released a statement on Facebook sharing that they are aware of the situation.
The police also shared more information about the incident such as the facts that the attack happened around 9 p.m., that the assailant was a 16-year-old boy, and that he not only admitted to the attack but apologized for it.
As the statement added:
“Restorative justice is about putting victim needs at the centre of the criminal justice system, finding positive solutions to crime and encouraging young people to be accountable for the consequences of their actions.
A hate crime is any crime motivated by hostility on the grounds of race, religion, sexual orientation, disability or transgender identity.
Hate crime has no place in society and has always been a priority for South Wales Police.
We encourage people, whether they are a victim or a witness of hate crime, to report it directly to South Wales Police : Heddlu De Cymru on 101 or 999 in an emergency.”
