An American woman who was left with a broken jaw after she and her girlfriend were punched and robbed by a gang of men on a London bus for refusing to kiss has spoken out following the ordeal, defiantly saying 'we are not scared to be visibly queer.'

Melania Geymonat, 28, and her American partner Chris, 29, were left bloodied and bruised after being attacked following an evening out in West Hampstead, north west London, in the early hours of May 30.

Chris has now revealed in shocking detail the vile attack the pair were subjected to, describing how a gang of young men saw they were a couple - as they were holding hands - and started to demand they kiss while making crude sexual gestures.

She told BBC London News: 'They got up out of their seats and walked over to where we were and started very aggressively harassing us. One of them stayed a couple of rows behind and was throwing coins at us.

'I did not engage with him at all. Initially Melania was trying to deescalate the situation. She was being friendly but trying to keep them at bay.'

When the couple refused to do as the gang asked, they were subjected to a vile attack. Both were left with facial injuries, and were robbed during the assault - which took place as the pair were travelling to Chris' home in Camden.

Miss Geymonat (right) and her girlfriend Chris (left) spoke to BBC London News this evening, and recounted once more the vile attack they suffered at the hands of the gang

Chris' injuries were still visible as she spoke to BBC London News this evening. Both she and Miss Geymonat sustained bruising to their face

Melania Geymonat (right), 28, has released this image of her with her girlfriend Chris (left) covered in blood, after she claims she was attacked by a group of young men on a London bus

Miss Geymonat is now waiting to find out if her nose was broken in the attack. She is pictured left before the incident, and right afterwards. She appears to have sustained a bruised eye

She continued: 'Fighting broke out and I don’t know how we got from fighting on the top of the bus down to the lower deck but in that time frame they took my phone, her bag and they ran off the bus.'

Chris was left with a broken jaw following the attack, and Miss Geymonat sustained a broken nose. Their injuries were still visible today as they spoke on camera.

It comes as figures from the Metropolitan Police show an 18 per cent rise in homophobic and transgender attacks on last year - from May 2017 to April 2018.

Chris continued: 'I was and still am angry. It was scary, but what is still making me angry is that this is not a novel situation. There are more hate crimes being committed. We’re just one anecdote.'

And Miss Geymonat added: 'The violence is not only because we are women who are dating each other. It’s also because we are women.'

Miss Geymonat is a Ryanair flight attendant. She has been in the position since February of this year

Defiantly standing up for herself following the attack - and asked what people should take from the incident, Chris said: 'I'm not scared about being visibly queer.

'There are a lot of people’s rights at risk and people’s basic safety is at risk.

'I want people to feel emboldened to stand up to the same people who feel emboldened. I want people to stand up for themselves and each other.'

Scotland Yard today confirmed it was investigating the 'homophobic attack' which saw a phone and bag stolen during the assault on the N31 bus at 2.30am.

Detectives said four teenage males, aged between 15 and 18, have been arrested on suspicion of robbery and aggravated GBH following the vile attack.

Miss Geymonat, a young doctor originally from Uruguay but currently working as a stewardess on a sabbatical to Europe, also recalled the shock attack - moments after she refused to kiss for the gang.

'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,' she said.

Recalling the gang's demands Miss Geymonat added: '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 gang began throwing things on the bus - which was travelling towards Camden, where Chris lives - and the couple told them to stop.

Miss Geymonat told BBC London News: 'The violence is not only because we are women which are dating each other. It’s also because we are women'

Both women were taken to hospital for treatment to facial injuries. Miss Geymonat said one of the men spoke Spanish and the others had British accents.

'The next thing I remember was Chris in the middle of them and they were beating her,' added Ms Geymonat, who is originally from Uruguay but now lives in the Essex village of Takeley.

'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. I felt blood, I was bleeding all over my clothes and all over the floor. We went downstairs and the police were there.'

The pair had decided to sit at the front on the top deck because they both enjoy the novelty of a double decker bus.

But the journey turned out to be far worse than expected. Miss Geymonat is still waiting to find out if her nose was broken in the vile attack.

The full Facebook post by Melania Geymonat after the bus attack English & Español, against CHAUVINIST, MISOGYNISTIC AND HOMOPHOBIC VIOLENCE Last Wednesday, 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 s*** 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! Advertisement

She said there were at least four of them and one spoke Spanish while the others had a British accent. The attackers allegedly robbed the couple before fleeing.

Miss Geymonat, who moved to the UK in February and is on a year's sabbatical from her medical studies, said she had felt safe as a gay woman in London.

But after being stunned by the attack, she released the picture to raise awareness of violence against women and gay people.

Miss Geymonat added: 'It's not something isolated, it's common. We were seen as entertainment, that's what makes me so angry.'

Speaking to BBC Radio 4's World At One programme today, she said: 'We tried to make them go away, but they didn't. They started throwing us coins. The next thing I know is that Chris is in the middle of the bus and they are punching her.

'I immediately went there just by impulse, I didn't think about it, and I tried to pull her out of there. So they started punching me, I don't remember if I was trying to get her out, or I punched somebody – I really don't.

'So they started beating me until I was bleeding. I was really bleeding. We went downstairs and the police were already there. They took our statements and they called the ambulance and everything.'

She added: 'It's a surprise to me. I know that there is a lot of verbal violence all the time, and that's the thing that made me tell the story. Even when these guys came, it was not the first situation when men see two women kissing and they start asking us if we were a show.

'I have gay friends who have been in the streets and they have been punched all over. Now, other people have told me a lot of violence is going on, that we were even lucky that we were on a bus, because if we were in the streets, nobody knows what could have happened.'

She said the police had been 'extremely good' in dealing with the incident.

Miss Geymonat shared about her experiences on Wednesday in a Facebook post which has now attracted more than 3,700 comments and 9,700 shares.

Prime Minister Theresa May and Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn both condemned the attack.

Mrs May said: 'This was a sickening attack and my thoughts are with the couple affected.

'Nobody should ever have to hide who they are or who they love and we must work together to eradicate unacceptable violence towards the LGBT community.'

Mr Corbyn labelled the attack 'absolutely shocking, saying: 'We must not, and will not, accept this homophobic and misogynist violence in our society.

'Solidarity to Melania and Chris, and to all in the LGBT+ community for everything they endure for simply being who they are.'

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

Constituency MP Tulip Siddiq added: 'Horrified to see this homophobic attack against two women simply trying to enjoy a night out in West Hampstead.

'There can be no excuses, no space, for such obscene behaviour. My full solidarity is with these women and the UK's LGBT community.'

And Health Secretary Matt Hancock said: 'This is appalling. Everyone has the right to love and I was proud to support equal marriage.'

Miss Geymonat graduated last year as a doctor at the Universidad de la República in Montevideo and had worked at the Hospital de Clínicas Montevideo before moving to the UK.

In an online profile, she said she had been 'motivated by telling stories' since she was a girl, and had also studied acting.

The attack happened on a N31 bus (left) travelling towards Camden Town (right) last week. The pair had been on a date night, and were holding hands while on the bus

She originally comes from Palmitas, a small town of less than 3,000 people in Uruguay, but later moved to Montevideo. She has also lived in Barcelona, Santiago in Chile and on a boat in Greece. Miss Geymonat also spent time travelling Italy, where her family originally come from.

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

'The incident happened at approximately 2.30am on May 30 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.'

Siwan Hayward, director of compliance, policing and on-street services at Transport for London, 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.'

** Do you know either of the victims? Please email: tips@dailymail.com **

Anyone who witnessed the incident or who has information that could assist the investigation is also asked to contact police on 101 or tweet @MetCC and quote CAD737/30May. Alternatively, call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111