Deliveroo rider suspended after screaming homophobic abuse at gay couple and accusing them of ‘witchcraft’
A cyclist working for the food delivery service Deliveroo rides on an empty street on April 30, 2020 in Madrid, Spain. (Carlos Alvarez/Getty)
A London Deliveroo rider has been suspended after shouting homophobic abuse at a gay couple and accusing them of “witchcraft”.
According to MyLondon News, couple Scott and Adam were walking down Waddon New Road in Croydon when a Deliveroo rider on a bicycle starting hurling homophobic slurs.
The rider called the couple “faggots”, told them they were “disgusting” and said: “Your witchcraft will come back on you.”
Deliveroo confirmed that the rider in question has been suspended, and the Metropolitan police are investigating the incident as a hate crime.
The couple said no one else was on the street when they were verbally attacked.
Scott said: “We face this [homophobic abuse] every day. Even in London, which we can all feel is incredibly open, there is still work to be done and though it’s tiresome and it can make us weary, we have to keep pushing forward.”
He added that he believes as white, cisgender men they have it “easier than most” LGBT+ people.
“We know to use that privilege, for example to report anything that happens knowing that most likely due to our skin tone we will be listened to,” he said.
“We feel resilient, we feel strong but of course there is disappointment in the people who are hateful and ignorant.
“I wouldn’t call it a shame, it is shameful but moreover it is disgraceful and lazy. To be uneducated and ill-informed in an age of uncapped knowledge via the internet is inexcusable.”
He continued: “As members of the queer community we need to act like troubleshooters, educating ourselves and educating others and then repairing and helping where help is most needed.
“We also need this support from our allies, potentially even more so as though it’s unfortunate, the societal norms put more credence on the voices of straight, white, cis people right now.
“We need those exact people to be educating themselves and advocating for the queer and trans community.
“It has to start with us personally, acknowledging and removing our biases to then change the bigger picture.”
If the homophobic actions of the rider are proven true, Deliveroo said the employee will be immediately fired.
The food delivery service said in a statement: “Deliveroo takes a zero tolerance approach to any form of discrimination.
“The incident was dealt with urgently by our escalation team and we immediately took action to suspend the rider while an investigation is carried out.
“The rider will have their contract with Deliveroo ended with immediate effect once we have carried out the necessary due diligence to confirm the incident.”
