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This horrifying picture shows a Ryanair flight attendant and her girlfriend covered in blood after they were allegedly assaulted by a gang of men in a homophobic attack.

Melania Geymonat, 28, from Uruguay, was riding the bus with her American girlfriend Chris after an evening out in West Hampstead, London, in the early hours of May 30.

Melania, who lives in Bishop's Stortford in Essex, says the pair decided to sit at the front on the top deck because they both enjoy the novelty of a double decker bus.

Then a gang of young men behind them saw they were a couple, began to throw coins and started to demand they kiss while making crude sexual gestures, it is claimed.

As police look for suspects, Mayor Sadiq Khan has condemned the attack as "disgusting" and "misogynistic", adding: "Hate crimes against LGBT+ people will not be tolerated in London."

Did you see what happened? Email webnews@mirror.co.uk.

(Image: Sam Webb)

She said: “They wanted us to kiss so they could watch us.

"I tried to defuse the situation as I’m not a confrontational person, telling them to please leave us alone as Chris wasn’t feeling well.”

The men, who were in their 20s or 30s, allegedly began throwing things and the couple told them to stop.

“The next thing I remember was Chris in the middle of them and they were beating her,” Melania added.

“I didn’t think about it and went in. I was pulling her back and trying to defend her so they started beating me up.

“I don’t even know if I was knocked unconscious.

(Image: Sam Webb)

“I felt blood, I was bleeding all over my clothes and all over the floor.

“We went downstairs and the police were there.”

Melania, who has received hundreds of messages of support on Facebook, is waiting to find out if her nose was broken in the attack.

She said there were at least four of them and one spoke Spanish while the others had British accents.

The attackers also allegedly robbed the couple before fleeing the bus.

She told Uruguayan news site Montevideo Portal that it was the first time in her life that she had been the victim of such severe homophobic violence.

Melania moved to the UK in February and is on a year's sabbatical from her medical studies.

(Image: Facebook)

She says she felt safe as a gay woman in London and was stunned by the attack.

She released the picture to raise awareness of violence against women and gay people.

Melania added: “It’s not something isolated, it’s common.

"We were seen as entertainment, that’s what makes me so angry.”

In an interview with Uruguayan radio station Oceano, Melania recounted her horrific ordeal and said she is just starting to feel better physically.

Speaking in Spanish, she said of her facial injuries: “I have some problems breathing but the bleeding has stopped and the level of inflammation has reduced considerably.

“We were on our way to Camden Town on the bus. I don't remember if the attackers were already there or if they got on the bus after us.

“To be honest, there are some (moments) I don't remember.

(Image: Sam Webb)

“Honestly, I don't remember if we were holding hands or if we kissed or something like that, so these kids saw us and immediately moved behind us and sat kind of surrounding us, and started to make all kinds of allusions about us being lesbian, sex positions and to ask us to kiss so that they could see.”

She said she tries to "mediate" or pretend she doesn't speak English to defuse situations where she is confronted over her sexuality.

But in this case the suspects continued to harass the couple and began to throw coins at them, she said.

Melania added: "I turned around and I saw Chris in the middle of the bus and there are three men hitting her, so as a reflex I head there and the truth is that I don't remember if I try to get her out or if I hit someone to defend her because she was already covered in blood so that is when they start beating me as well."

She said no other passengers were on the top deck at the time.

She said the police response was "excellent", and some of her stolen belongings, including her ID, were returned to her after they were discovered by a passer-by and taken to Uruguay's embassy.

Melania said she decided to go public over the incident after telling friends about the attack.

(Image: Sam Webb)

She said: "This is what motivates me to tell this story because when I told my friends and family about it a lot of my friends started telling stories I didn't know - even though I am their friend, about a lot of types of violence, both verbal or physical.

"I don't want to keep quiet about this kind of thing because it is not the first time, but it is the first time that has reached this level.

"I have been living (in the UK) for a short period of time and in theory London is one of the most open minded cities.

"n Uruguay I felt more violence for being a woman than for dating women.

"This isn't something that regularly happens in London. Here in London I have never heard something like this from the people I know, it is anyway an unfortunate event."

London Mayor Sadiq Khan condemned the incident and urged people with information to call police.

He tweeted: "This was a disgusting, misogynistic attack. Hate crimes against LGBT+ people will not be tolerated in London. The @metpoliceuk are investigating. If you have any information about this call 101 to report it."

A Met Police spokesperson said: "Police are appealing for witnesses and information after two women were assaulted and robbed in a homophobic attack on a bus in Camden.

(Image: Getty)

"The incident happened at approximately 2.30am on Thursday, 30 May after the two women, both aged in their 20s, boarded a N31 bus in West Hampstead.

"As they sat on the top deck they were approached by a group of four males who began to make lewd and homophobic comments to them.

"The women were then attacked and punched several times before the males ran off the bus. A phone and bag were stolen during the assault.

"Both women were taken to hospital for treatment to facial injuries."

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact police on 101 or tweet @MetCC and quote CAD737/30May.

People can also call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Siwan Hayward, Transport for London's Director of Compliance, Policing and On-Street Services, said: "This sickening attack is utterly unacceptable.

"Homophobic behaviour and abuse is a hate crime and won’t be tolerated on our network.

"All of our customers have the right to travel without fear of verbal or physical assault and we are working with the police to stamp out this behaviour on our transport network.

"We will do all we can to support the police investigation of this incident."

According to Stonewall, one in five LGBT people have experienced a hate crime or incident because of their sexual orientation and/or gender identity in the last 12 months.

Melania's Facebook post in full

"Last Wednesday (May 30), I had a date with Chris. We got on the Night Bus, heading for her place in Camden Town, climbed upstairs and took the front seats.

"We must have kissed or something because these guys came after us. I don’t remember if they were already there or if they got on after us.

"There were at least four of them. They started behaving like hooligans, demanding that we kissed so they could enjoy watching, calling us ‘lesbians’ and describing sexual positions.

"I don’t remember the whole episode, but the word 'scissors' stuck in my mind. It was only them and us there.

"In an attempt to calm things down, I started making jokes. I thought this might make them go away. Chris even pretended she was sick, but they kept on harassing us, throwing us coins and becoming more enthusiastic about it.

"The next thing I know is that Chris is in the middle of the bus fighting with them. On an impulse, I went over there only to find her face bleeding and three of them beating her up.

"The next thing I know is I'm being punched. I got dizzy at the sight of my blood and fell back. I don’t remember whether or not I lost consciousness.

"Suddenly the bus had stopped, the police were there and I was bleeding all over. Our stuff was stolen as well.

"I don’t know yet if my nose is broken, and I haven’t been able to go back to work, but what upsets me the most is that VIOLENCE HAS BECOME A COMMON THING, that sometimes it’s necessary to see a woman bleeding after having been punched to feel some kind of impact.

"I’m tired of being taken as a SEXUAL OBJECT, of finding out that these situations are usual, of gay friends who were beaten up JUST BECAUSE.

"We have to endure verbal harassment AND CHAUVINIST, MISOGYNISTIC AND HOMOPHOBIC VIOLENCE because when you stand up for yourself shit like this happens.

"By the way, I am thankful to all the women and men in my life that understand that HAVING BALLS MEANS SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT.

"I just hope that in June, Pride Month, stuff like this can be spoken out loudly so they STOP HAPPENING!"