Clapham stabbing: Two men injured in homophobic attack

The attack took place outside Clapham's Two Brewers nightclub

Two men were taken to hospital after being stabbed in a homophobic attack outside a south London nightclub.

The men, in their 20s and 30s, were attacked outside the Two Brewers in Clapham High Street on Sunday night.

The Met Police said it was treating the stabbings as homophobic. The men have since been sent home from hospital.

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said there was "no place for hate in London", adding that he stood with LGBTQI+ Londoners.

No arrests have been made in connection to the incident.

Det Insp Gary Castle said he was "aware of the shock this attack will cause members of the LGBT+ community", adding "an urgent investigation is ongoing".

A drag performer at the club praised staff at the venue for their response.

The Two Brewers has boosted its security after the attack

Mary Mac posted: "The team at The Two Brewers were incredible in dealing with this and keeping us inside the venue safe.

"It's shocking and disgusting that in 2023 this is becoming frighteningly more frequent."

A Two Brewers spokesperson said the venue was "fully supporting" the police with their investigation "regarding this unprovoked attack", adding, "our thoughts are with the victims and their families".

"We would like to reassure the LGBTQIA+ community that the safety and security of our guests remains our number one priority," they said.

"Our CCTV has been handed over to the police and enhanced security measures have now been put in place."

'Unacceptable to live in fear'

Campaign group Stonewall called on the government to set out a plan to deal with hate crime in the wake of the stabbings.

The organisation said there had been no government hate crime strategy in place for the past three years.

In a series of entries on Twitter, now known as X, the LGBT+ charity said: "We are appalled to hear that two men have been stabbed in an apparent homophobic attack outside a LGBTQ+ venue in Clapham.

"It is unacceptable for LGBTQ+ people to live in fear. We call on the UK Govt to set out its plan to deal with rising hate crime."

The attack took place outside the Two Brewers in Clapham

In London, Metropolitan Police figures show a slight decrease in homophobic hate crimes - 3,792 such crimes were recorded in the year to July 2023, compared to 4,131 a year earlier.

Home Office figures for the year ending March 2022 show that sexual orientation hate crimes in England and Wales increased by 41% to 26,152, representing the largest percentage annual increase in these offences since current records began in the year ending March 2012.

Transgender identity hate crimes also rose significantly, by 56% to 4,355, the data shows.

The Home Office said the overall rise could be due to better recording by police, as well as fewer cases having been recorded under Covid restrictions in 2020/21.

However, significant increases of more than 40 and 50% would indicate an upward trend.

A government spokesperson said of the Clapham incident: "These reports are deeply concerning and our thoughts are with the victims and their families.

"It's right that we give the police space to investigate this incident and it would be inappropriate to comment further while an investigation is ongoing."

'Appalling attack'

Sadiq Khan said the incident was "abhorrent" and his thoughts were with the victims of this "appalling attack".

"I have always been clear that there is no place for hate in London. I stand with LGBTQI+ Londoners and will do all I can to end hate crime in the capital," he added.

Mr Khan said his team and the Met Police would invite the LGBTQ+ venues forum and its members to attend an urgent meeting later this week.

Florence Eshalomi, Labour MP for Vauxhall, said: "Having spoken to people in the area this afternoon, I know how alarming this shocking attack has been to the LGBTQ+ community in Clapham.

"My thoughts are with the victims, who I hope will be supported to make a full recovery."

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