In London we don’t merely tolerate diversity, we celebrate it. That’s why the homophobic attack outside Clapham’s gay bar the Two Brewers is so shocking and strikes at the heart of what our city is and stands for.
Yet the facts are that this was not an isolated incident. More than 3,500 homophobic-flagged hate crimes were recorded in the capital last year. That represents a two-fold increase from 2015. Some of the rise may be attributed to more reporting, but it would be criminally complacent to ignore such trends, not least when many, in particular young people, are unwilling to go to the police.
