A Ukrainian refugee that is helping his fellow compatriots escape the war is alleged to have been the victim of a homophobic attack in Edinburgh’s city centre.
Nick Jeorg, 22, is a volunteer and journalist for Help Ukraine Scotland (HUS), who arrived in Scotland on April 26 as a Ukrainian LGBT refugee.
He has already helped to evacuate two other LGBT individuals from his native country as the community comes under intense threat during the Russian invasion.
READ MORE: LGBTQ+ Ukrainian escapes to Edinburgh from Russian occupied territory
But Nick says that he was subjected to a terrifying homophobic attack at the hands of a man outside of Sainsbury’s on Nicolson Street on Thursday June 30 at around 21:30pm.
On the ordeal, Nick said: “I was walking to Sainsbury's for food at about 21:30pm.
“Where a man came out with a bottle of beer, took me by the hand and asked ‘Are you gay?’”
“I told him ‘I’m #Ukrainian, what do you need?’ and after that he started yelling at me ‘f***ing Ukrainian gay, I hate you - I’m from #Poland.’”
“I told him, ‘don’t touch me’ and I tried to get away from him."
“But he started chasing me, hitting my hands, trying to grab me. I started yelling ‘help me, homophobe’ and people started helping me and protecting me from him.
“Security ran out of the store and started filming this criminal. There was a friend of mine on the street who started protecting me and I had to run to the store.
“After that I left but this man was still there, and he started trying to attack me again and yell homophobic stuff.
“I got really sick and scared, and he kept doing it, and I started yelling back ‘how can you be homophobic? You’re worse than the Russians!’”
“He kept threatening me but people protected me and surrounded him and he turned around and left the scene.
“After the shop employees called the police, I went to the police station where I wrote about the homophobic assault.
“A lot of people in the street protected me, they surrounded him and prevented him from attacking.
“In the end, he had to leave. The supermarket employees helped me by calling the police and offered me protection until the attacker left.”
Nick said that in addition to the homophobia, the man displayed a national dislike for him as a Ukrainian.
He said that he felt frightened and confused.
He continued: “I wasn’t ready for it. I was scared of him being so aggressive towards me.
“It all reminded me of life in the occupied territory of Ukraine, when Russian soldiers killed people.”
Nick has been living in Edinburgh for around two months and Edinburgh Live had reported in early June that he was involved with organising a comedy night to raise money for the LGBT community back home.
In order to support the community back home, he has asked Smoke & Mirrors to help fundraise for the LGBTQ+ and women's charity, Insight, through their Queer Comedy Scotland night on June 5.
All of the proceeds from the ticket money went towards the charity.
At the time, he explained the situation he had escaped back in his homeland.
He told Edinburgh Live: ““Many LGBT+ people in Ukraine are facing mental health issues due to homophobia from their families and in everyday life because of this, there is a lot of stress and fear in the community which can place us in even greater danger.
"In Ukraine before the war there weren't many LGBT+ places but now the war has started, and many cities have been bombed, it's putting us at an even greater risk."
He continued: "A lot of LGBT+ people have left because they can't stay due to the military and hostile homophobic atmosphere. Sadly it's too dangerous.
"We want a safe place, to go out in the streets with our partners and husbands and visit gay clubs and bars, community centres and speak about freedom and issues that matter, but since the war started it is not possible.”
He said he falls within the current conscription age bracket, and that young men spotted out on the streets could be captured by the military and forced to fight.
When leaving the country Nick ended up getting stuck in an occupied region of Ukraine, which is under Russian military control.
He spoke about the terrifying experience of walking the streets as he claims there is a chance of being captured and forced to fight on the front line for Russia against the Ukrainian people.
Nick said: "It's so dangerous because the Russian army is in the streets, and they take Ukrainians in occupied territory and send them to fight on the front line against their own.
"I was there for months in the occupied territory but I found a way to get to Latvia then Edinburgh.
"It was a long way and a dangerous way but I did it and got here safely, maybe it was just luck.”
On the incident outside Sainsbury’s, a Police Scotland spokesperson said: “Around 10.15pm on Thursday, 30 June, 2022, police received a report of an assault in the Nicolson Street area of Edinburgh.
“Enquiries are at an early stage.”
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