G×Bar Special, a beauty salon in Kyiv that last month dismissed an employee for trampling on an LGBTQ+ flag, is now facing pressure due to its support for every person’s right to free love and a life free from fear and hatred.
This morning, unknown individuals left severed pig heads and animal bloodstains at the establishment’s entrance. This was reported by G×Bar staff on social media.
Moreover, the authors claim that all salon employees have been under constant pressure for a month, and not just in Kyiv.
“Intimidation. Mass attacks on our Google Maps. Threats. Property damage. Disclosure of personal data. Distribution of home addresses. Threats of physical violence against us, our people, and their families,” the publication states.
Consequently, in Kyiv, at the G×Bar Special establishment, management was compelled to enhance security measures and engage security personnel, and has been contacting the police for every threat or instance of property damage.
Video of the day
This information was not disclosed for a considerable time, as the team believed the matter would be resolved within the legal framework. The final straw was the pig heads at the salon’s entrance.
“Today, the line has been definitively crossed, and we publicly request the National Police to address the systematic violation of the law against us,” the employees declared.
According to the team, no one is protected from such actions, and this could happen to any Ukrainian business that boldly and openly upholds human values:
“Everyone has the right to their own beliefs. Everyone has the right to disagree. But no one has the right to intimidate people. When home addresses are published, when families are threatened, when teams are terrorized and attempts are made to paralyze business operations, it is no longer freedom of thought. It is violence.”
G×Bar Special emphasized that they have no intention of responding to aggression with aggression or changing their beliefs and values; they simply wish to operate in a country “where businesses do not fear opening their doors in the morning.”
Videos from surveillance cameras and photos documenting property damage to the salons, as well as the placement of pig heads at the entrance, have also been published.
The police have responded to the incident. Law enforcement officers in the capital have initiated a criminal case regarding acts of hooliganism near the beauty salon and are currently investigating all circumstances of the incident.
“Unknown individuals left parts of domestic animal carcasses on the territory near the establishment and also doused the entrance doors and facade windows with liquid. Investigators from the Pechersk Police Department have initiated criminal proceedings under Part 1 of Article 296 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine – hooliganism. Law enforcement officers are currently taking measures to identify the individuals involved in the commission of the offense,” the police statement reads.
It was previously reported that G×Bar Special dismissed an employee who, on June 21st, the day of the tenth anniversary “KyivPride” march, intentionally trampled on LGBTQ+ symbols. When questioned by witnesses, she responded that she was simply “wiping her feet” because she had “dirtied her sneakers.”
As a reminder, two well-known Ukrainian tennis players attended the LGBTQ+ wedding of former Russian tennis player Kasatkina.