Three arrested after assault at York’s first ever LGBTQ+ club night

Three arrests have been made after alleged homophobic attacks at York’s first ever LGBTQ+ club night.

One victim told The York Tab they were subjected to homophobic slurs as “they grabbed my hair and punched me in the back of the head which made me pass out.”

Kuda, where the night was held, denied any wrongdoing, but said police were called to the club after a glass throwing incident, which they believe not to be homophobic. The club also said two people were thrown out after incidents of homophobic slurs were reported.

Police were called to Kuda, on Clifford Street, at two this morning, and three arrests were made. Police attended reports of a disturbance and arrested a woman in her 30s, a man in his 20s and a 17-year-old girl on suspicion of assault.

They were later released under investigation pending further enquiries.

One victim, Kate, and their partner Sofie, described the attack to The York Tab, saying they had homophobic slurs hurled at them, were punched in the back of the head, and had their knee twisted onto the ground. They told The York Tab they were in A&E until 6:30 this morning, severely concussed and with strained ligaments in their knee.

Sofie also recalled several incidents of glasses being thrown: “When I went to the first-aid area of the club, there were four or five of us who had all been hit on the head with glasses.”

They continued: “We need the world to understand that this isn’t okay. We want to make sure the people that did this are punished to the fullest extent of the law.”

A spokesperson for Kuda York told The York Tab: “We take any forms of discrimination very seriously and welcome all clubbers, embracing diversity and inclusion, which is reflected in our team with the majority part of the LGBTQ+ community.”

“We are aware of these allegations and strongly deny any wrongdoing, with the safety and wellbeing of our guests a priority.

“We have CCTV footage of both alleged incidents and we are satisfied the male guest was ejected professionally.  The glass throwing was not a homophobic attack as it was between two groups of LGBTQ+ members, which was brought under control very quickly and someone has been arrested by the police.  On the night, we were also made aware of two reported incidents of homophobic slurs which were acted upon immediately with both guests ejected from the venue.”

North Yorkshire Police said: “Three people have been arrested after a woman was assaulted in York.

“The incident happened on Clifford Street at round 2am today.

“Police attended reports of a disturbance and arrested a woman in her 30s, a man in his 20s and a 17-year-old girl on suspicion of assault.

“They were later released under investigation pending further enquiries.

“The victim, a woman in her 20s, was treated for injuries which are not believed to be serious.”

The YUSU LGBTQ+ officers Matt Rogan and Dan Loyd said: “When we first contacted Kuda, [regarding the LGBTQ+ club night] we were reassured by the owner that there would be measures in place, including a zero-tolerance approach to homophobic behaviour, as well as inclusivity training for staff and bouncers. We were also given the reassurance any member of staff encouraging queerphobia would be fired on the spot. However, what we have seen and heard has contradicted everything we’ve been told.”

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