July 2nd 2024.
As they walked home from a night out to celebrate one of their birthdays, Emma MacLean and her girlfriend Tori were brutally attacked by a gang of men. It was a peaceful evening until they passed a group of about 10 men, and one of them made a highly offensive and sexually degrading comment towards Emma. Tori, being the protective girlfriend that she is, stood up for Emma and confronted the man. However, he and the rest of the gang were not to be stopped. They continued to hurl hateful and homophobic slurs at the couple until they eventually physically attacked them.
Emma recounted the horrifying experience to CTV News, saying that Tori first spoke up and said, "Hey, that's my girlfriend." But the men kept walking, and Tori followed them to confront them further. "I see Tori being pushed on the stairs right in front of the BMO Centre," Emma said, describing the moment when the situation escalated. The men started punching and kicking Tori while she was on the ground, and Emma quickly jumped in to try and restrain them. "The fight-or-flight came in," she said, "I basically jumped on one of their backs and put them in a chokehold – trying to restrain them."
The couple received several punches and kicks to their faces and ribs, leaving them with injuries such as a broken nose, chipped tooth, and multiple bruises on their faces and heads. The attack took place on Argyle Street in downtown Halifax, and Emma turned to social media to appeal for any witnesses to come forward. "We are extremely thankful that things were not worse," she wrote in her post, "If anyone has any further information or had witnessed this event, or has personal video footage, I would be extremely grateful if you could share it. Stay safe and happy pride month."
In a later post, Emma shared video and screenshots of the group of men who attacked them. She described them as appearing to be of Middle Eastern descent, possibly from Syria, and estimated their age to be between 18-25. The footage is distressing, with screams heard in the background as the men surrounded the couple, who were lying on the ground. One of the women managed to get up and tried to protect her partner as the men continued to attack them. The bystanders who witnessed the assault did nothing to intervene, and it wasn't until a bystander called the police that the fight ended. However, by the time the officers arrived, the attackers had dispersed.
Emma further explained that when the police arrived, they spoke with one of the men involved, who blamed the fight on the two women. The rest of the men refused to cooperate or show their IDs to the police. The incident is currently under investigation, and no charges have been brought yet. Emma's hope is that justice will be served and that others can learn from this experience to spread love and acceptance instead of hate and violence.
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