A Maltese woman who decided to go to Paceville for a night out returned home bruised and beaten after allegedly becoming the victim of a homophobic attack.
Telling her story on the popular Facebook group Are You Being Served ?, Celine Balzan Gera recounted how she was forcefully kicked out of Nordic club for no apparent reason other than her sexual orientation.
Making it clear that she and her friends complied with all COVID restrictions in place, it was a kiss between her and another woman which seemed to trigger the bouncer “soon enough one of the bouncers came to our table to kick us out”
When the couple resisted, the bouncer became aggressive and threw them both to the ground, “kicking us and putting pressure to be kept down” Balzan Gera wrote.
“Never in my life have I experienced homophobia and abuse of this kind”
Under Maltese law, homophobic attacks are considered hate crimes and the punishment established for any offence motivated, wholly or in part by hatred against a person on the grounds of gender, gender identity or sexual orientation can be increased by one to two degrees.
SideStreet Malta has reached out to police authorities urging immediate action and investigations into the case.
