Victim of ‘homophobic’ abuse on Manchester bus: ‘It happens regularly and often’
A bus passenger was subjected to a ‘homophobic’ rant. (Karina Townsley)
The man who was subjected to an anti-gay tirade on a bus after Manchester Pride has spoken about the abuse, saying that it is not an isolated incident.
Christopher Burton, 48, was travelling home from Manchester Pride on Saturday, August 24. Fellow bus passengers filmed an older woman verbally abusing him with vile ‘homophobic’ language.
Burton, who was wearing a “homophobic abuse is criminal” t-shirt at the time, was called “disgusting”, a “f*****”, and told he “should have been killed at birth”.
Other passengers and the bus driver leapt to Burton’s defence, and he later reported the incident to the police.
But he told Manchester Evening News that he was more concerned for the other passengers on the bus.
He said: “I thought she was going to get violent.
“I was more concerned for the other people on the bus and a child that was on there.”
The video was filmed by a fellow passenger, whose seven-year-old daughter sitting a few metres away was left “shaking” after witnessing the conflict.
Burton said: “I tried to calm the situation down. I opened up my arms and told her there was no need for this at all.
“Everybody on the bus was shocked and four or five people told her to stop.”
In the footage, the bus driver can be heard telling the woman to “keep [her] voice down and mind [her] language”.
Another passenger adds: “He’s not done anything to you, you’re being ignorant, you’re being nasty for no reason.”
Unfortunately Burton said that this type of abuse happens to him “regularly and often” as he faces “different people and attitudes.”
“I just thought, ‘Why has she picked on me?’ I did absolutely nothing apart from board a bus,” he said.
“Everybody in the city was celebrating that weekend, apart from one it seems.”
