UK police are investigating after two men were stabbed outside of a south London nightclub on Sunday night. In what investigators are treating as a homophobic attack, the pair were leaving the Two Brewers on Clapham High Street when they were attacked. Their injuries were thankfully not life-threatening, and they were treated in hospital and discharged.

So far there have been no arrests made over the attack, and London Mayor Sadiq Khan has urged witnesses to come forward. "This is abhorrent," he said in a tweet. "There is no place for hate in London. It’s a huge relief the victims are out of hospital – my thoughts remain with them and their loved ones. If you have any information, please do not stay silent.”

This is abhorrent. There is no place for hate in London.

It's a huge relief the victims are out of hospital - my thoughts remain with them & their loved ones.

If you have any information, please do not stay silent - contact 101 or @Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. https://t.co/KLAqgc4yjD

— Sadiq Khan (@SadiqKhan) August 14, 2023

This attack is the latest in a recorded rise in homophobia-motivated attacks: according to data released by UK police, the number of homophobic hate crimes had reached its highest level since before the Covid lockdown restrictions. Additionally, a report from February by the ILGA Europe concluded that 2022 was the most violent year for LGBTQ+ people in Europe in over a decade.

One of the men who was stabbed posted on Instagram following the attack. “To think what can lead to changing a persons mind that much that they can feel its ok attack anyone... whatever their reasons... and how we change that." He continued, describing the support he's felt from his community. "I could never, and have never be prouder, happier, or more comforted, by the community I am lucky enough to have as my LGBTQ+ family!!"

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