Watch: ‘Holding hands’ video stunt goes wrong in Ukraine as thugs attack
Two men have been attacked by a gang of thugs – while attempting to replicate a video stunt where they hold hands in public.
A video spread earlier this month of a stunt in Russia – where two men walked through the streets of Moscow holding hands.
The Moscow pair received a number of homophobic comments – but the stunt went awry this week when two men tried to replicate it in Kyiv, Ukraine.
Zoryan and Tymur, who agreed to try the stunt for Bird In Flight magazine, were quickly encircled by a gang of far-right thugs when they sat together on a bench.
The gang initially tried to question the pair, asking them if they were Ukrainian patriots, and remarking: “It looks like they’re f***ing mistaking this place for America”.
However, once a police officer moved out of sight, the gang turned more aggressive – pepper-spraying the men directly in the face, before kicking them.
Luckily, both men escaped without serious injury.
Homophobia is on the rise in the country amid growing political tensions and a booming far-right.
Journalist Maxim Eristavi told the Guardian that attacks on gay people rarely lead to police action, saying: “There’s a culture of impunity among Ukrainian far-right extremists that is flourishing on the local governing and political elite’s inability to issue a condemnation of violent paramilitaries.”
Watch the original Russian video below:
