Man carrying pink dog carrier left beaten and bloodied after attackers assumed he was gay
Ilija Vučević lost three teeth and several bruises following the attack
By Steve Brown
Words: Steve Brown
A man carrying a pink dog carrier was brutally attacked after attackers assumed he was gay.
On Friday (November 1), Ilija Vučević, from Belgrade in Serbia, was carrying a pink dog carrier while his wife was nearby with the dog.
However, two men started hurling homophobic abuse towards him but when he started challenging them, they became violent and started to attack him.
Sharing a bloodied image on Facebook, he explained how the attacked ‘thought I was gay because I had a pet bag on my shoulder’.
He wrote: “Tonight I was brutally attacked in the center of Belgrade because two hooligans thought that pink dog transporter bag is a proof that I’m a homosexual.
“Three lost teeth, one stitch and several bruises are the [result] of the attack. Despite not being a homosexual, tonight I am proud to ‘be’ one of them.”
When the confrontation turned violent, his wife intervened and the attackers fled from the scene, Serbian news outlet N1 reported.
Now, police have confirmed that two men have been arrested on suspicion of attacking the 39 year old.
He added: “I hope it will be characterised as a hate crime. Although I do not belong to the LGBT community, I was attacked for it.”