Four arrests have been made connected to an assault on a London bus that left two LGBT women injured, in what the mayor of London called "a disgusting, misogynistic attack."

Police said Friday they have arrested four males between the ages of 15 and 18 on suspicion of robbery and hate crimes and are actively looking for more individuals who may be connected to the attack.

After entering a double-decker bus in the Camden neighborhood of London on 30, Melania Geymonat and her girlfriend, identified only as Chris, began to be cat-called by a group of four men on the top level, says Geymonat.

"They started behaving like hooligans, demanding that we kissed so they could enjoy watching, calling us ‘lesbians’ and describing sexual positions," Geymonat wrote in a statement on Facebook.

Geymonat did not immediately respond to USA TODAY's request for comment.

To appease the men and "calm things down," Geymonat said she started joking with them. They were the only passengers on the bus, she added, but it was not clear who took the grisly image.

However, the men, who allegedly threw coins at them, soon began attacking Geymonat's girlfriend.

"I immediately went there by impulse and tried to pull her out of there and they started punching me," she told the BBC.

"I got dizzy at the sight of my blood and fell back," Geymonat wrote on Facebook. "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."

Both women were hospitalized for facial injuries, London Metropolitan Police said.

"Lots of people will understandably be outraged by this attack," said detective superintendent Andy Cox in a statement. "Our efforts to trace all the suspects involved and bring them in for questioning will be relentless."

"This was a disgusting, misogynistic attack," wrote London Mayor Sadiq Khan in a tweet. "Hate crimes against the LGBT+ community will not be tolerated in London."

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This was a disgusting, misogynistic attack. Hate crimes against the LGBT+ community will not be tolerated in London.



The @metpoliceuk are investigating and appealing for witnesses. If you have any information - call 101. https://t.co/4zSqxyE6IP



— Sadiq Khan (@SadiqKhan) June 7, 2019

According to a British government survey from February, two-thirds of LGBT people in the United Kingdom are afraid of public displays of affection due to fear of "a negative reaction from others."

"This attack is an upsetting reminder of how much we still have to do for LGBT equality," said British LGBT nonprofit Stonewall in a statement to USA TODAY. "It’s tempting to think that in 2019, lesbians and bi women are safe from attacks like these, and indeed we all should be. But sadly, this isn’t the reality."

Geymonat said that she's been unable to return to work since the attack. She said she shared the gruesome image on Facebook to show how common violence is toward marginalized groups.

"We have to endure verbal harassment and chauvinist, misogynistic and homophobic violence because when you stand up for yourself (expletive) like this happens," she concluded her post.

Follow Joshua Bote on Twitter: @joshua_bote

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Four arrests after gay couple attacked on London bus after not kissing