A man who was assaulted after the Pride march in Gozo last Saturday has described the ordeal and called for witnesses to come forward.

The incident happened as the man sought a drink at a bar after leaving Victoria. He was part of a small group that was also the target of verbal abuse.

The NGO LGBTI+ Gozo condemned the incident, saying it was "a sombre reminder of why we must continue to fight for Pride."

"We cannot stand idly by while members of our society are attacked and assaulted just for being themselves. We cannot celebrate Pride and do nothing while LGBTI+ people in Gozo and Malta experience discrimination, stigma, and violence just for occupying space," the group said.

In an account issued to the media, the victim said the group was met with hostility when they approached the bar, but that was nothing new and he had previously faced countless piercing glares, been subjected to slurs and even spat at, for the way he looked, dressed or for just holding a hand of a loved one.

Over time, he said he had learned how to deal with such things and developed a thick skin.

"So, I went into this bar with composure and respect, not expecting the kind of hostility I was going to meet. There were some patrons having a drink, a bartender behind the bar, so I went up to the bar and ordered a drink.

The victim after the assault.

"Beside me, a young man, presumably the owner, sternly declared, "Magħluqin!" ("We're closed!"). Bewilderment washed over me as I looked around. The bar was very much open. I re-attempted to place an order with the bartender, but she hesitated, caught in the crossfire. "Don't look at her!" he snapped. My response was calm and simple: "I only want a drink." The anger in his voice intensified drastically as he reiterated, "We are closed!" His final words were chilling and extremely aggressive: "You have FIVE seconds to get out."

He said he was left "baffled", questioning why he was being subjected to such treatment.

"I wasn’t doing any fanfare but perhaps my floral t-shirt and pink handbag gave away my orientation? The realisation hit me like a ton of bricks - I was being discriminated against and being denied service based on my appearance and presumed orientation."  

He said he chose not to respond with violence but with respect.

"I exited the bar, but he, the presumed owner, didn’t want me there nor on the pavement in front of the bar nor on the street, as if he held dominion over the square!! 

"This is a public place; “I’m going to call the police! I said, whilst fidgeting with my phone in utter shock. At that point, two of the patrons emerged from the bar, gently ushering me away from the presumed owner. “You need to understand”, one of them began, but I interjected “Understand what?!”, “I just wanted a drink!”

"Promising to retrieve a drink discreetly for me, they urged me to wait behind a car, fearful of the owner's aggression. Probably too afraid of this man’s hostility, the drink never arrived."

He said the he and his friends decided to leave and he videoed the place to document what had happened to him, planning to share "this horrible experience" with his friends. 

"The presumed owner and another patron observed my actions. As I walked past, I was showered with numerous insults, threats to remove my phone, and other provocations. They were irked by my recording, but I refused to engage in their attempts to violence. I neither insulted back nor displayed fear; instead, I held my head high and continued on my way. 

"The nightmare was far from over. As I was some 20 meters from the bar, one of the patrons sprinted toward me, launching a brutal assault of punches targeting my face and head. He even attempted to push me into a nearby roadworks ditch."

The victim said other patrons intervened and pulled him away while the police were called. The bar was quickly closed and the presumed owner and patrons fled.

The victim said he suffered head injuries, a split lip and dental pain.  

He said he was appealing to witnesses to come forward. "I offer forgiveness, but I recognize that justice must prevail for choosing to discriminate and resort to violence," he said.