A beauty salon in Kyiv has been targeted with severed pig heads, animal remains and blood after publicly expressing support for LGBTQ+ people.
The attack took place outside G.Bar Special on Lesi Ukrainky Boulevard early on Tuesday, 21 July. The salon said severed pig heads and entrails were left at its entrance, while its steps and façade were covered with blood.
Salon Reports Sustained Campaign of Intimidation
G.Bar said the incident was the latest in a month-long campaign of threats, property damage and intimidation directed towards the company, its employees and business partners.
Its Ukrainian salons had “been under sustained pressure for the past month because we openly support human values and every person’s right to love freely and live without fear or hatred”, the company said.
According to G.Bar, staff members and their families have received threats of physical violence, while employees’ private information and home addresses have been published online.
The company also reported attacks on its Google Maps listings, damage to salon property and protests outside its premises. Security has since been increased at its Kyiv locations.
“We are not going to respond to aggression with aggression. Nor are we going to abandon our values out of fear,” G.Bar said.
“We simply want to live and work in a country where businesses aren’t afraid to open their doors each morning.”
The company said it had documented each incident and reported the alleged offences to law enforcement.
Pressure Followed Response to KyivPride Incident
Local reporting has linked the campaign against G.Bar to its response to an incident at the KyivPride march on 21 June.
A woman who was working with the beauty company was filmed stepping on LGBTQ+ flags during the event. Following calls from UkrainePride and KyivPride for the company to respond, G.Bar said it did not share her views or actions and ended its relationship with her.
Since then, unknown individuals have reportedly placed homophobic stickers on the salon’s windows, written slogans around the property and held demonstrations outside the business.
G.Bar said it initially chose not to publicise every incident because it hoped the situation could be addressed through legal channels. The latest attack prompted the company to make a public appeal to Ukraine’s National Police.
Police Open Criminal Investigation
Kyiv police confirmed that animal remains had been left outside the salon and that its entrance, doors and windows had been covered with liquid.
Officers have opened a criminal investigation into alleged hooliganism and are working to identify those responsible. The relevant offence can carry a restriction of liberty of up to five years
G.Bar is an international beauty franchise founded in Ukraine, with more than 70 locations across 14 countries.
The company said the intimidation would not force it to abandon its commitment to LGBTQ+ inclusion or every person’s right to live without fear.
