The entrance to Tiffany Club was smashed by the thugs (Photo: Tiffany Club)

A gay club in Slovenia’s capital Ljubljana was attacked by unknown assailants in an incident being treated by police as a hate crime.

Tiffany Club – one of the city’s few LGBT+ venues – was targeted at 4am on Friday, when a group of assailants stormed the club shortly after closing time.

Thugs smashed up gay club and threatened staff members

The attackers smashed the entrance door and the windows, causing those still inside the club to barricade themselves inside a secure area for safety.

In a statement, the club said that its staff members were threatened by the thugs, who shouted: “Come out, faggots!”

However, the attackers fled the scene after the police were called.

The club said: “Fortunately, no one was hurt.”

The venue has called on police “to act against violence in accordance with the law” and expressed concern that “homophobia-motivated violence and criminal actions are growing” in the country.

Police are investigating the incident as a hate crime.

Slovenia’s Prime Minister Marjan Sarec is among those to have condemned the attack, tweeting: “The attack on the Tiffany club in Ljubljana is a cowardly, pathetic act.

“Unfortunately, this kind of violence is not a lone case in our society. I’m sure the authorities will do their job and track the perpetrators.”

Tolerance is no longer growing in Slovenia, LGBT+ campaigners warn

LGBT+ campaigners say the attack is part of a wider backlash against equal rights in the country, which has permitted same-sex couples to enter a form of civil partnerships since 2017.

Non-profit Legebitra said: “We have been saying for some time now that we can no longer claim that tolerance towards LGBT people is improving in Slovenia, as we could have argued a few years ago.

“Homophobia, biphobia and transphobia are ever more direct and widespread in online commentaries, on social networks, and are more often manifested to the streets due to the increasing and more direct spread of hatred, which has also become a part of programs and statements of prominent members of political parties, some so called civic initiatives, and other individuals in positions of power.

“In the last month alone, there have been two cases of physical violence against individuals and safer spaces for LGBTI people.”

The group added: “The reasons for the rise in homophobic, biphobic and transphobic violence also lie in allowing hatred to become part of the social and political culture. The hateful words have once again been put into action.”

Legebitra flagged that there is no public data on hate crimes in Slovenia, meaning it is impossible to keep track of “how many acts of hatred are committed” against LGBT+ people and other groups.

The group said: “We know of individual cases reported to us by survivors or witnesses of violence, or of some that are of high profile in the media. This, to our knowledge, is far from the actual number of hate crimes.

“This kind of information is important for formulating concrete measures that would properly address and stop such violence.”