A Ukrainian neo-Nazi who attacked a transgender woman serving in the country’s armed forces has apologized to his victim, promising to be more “tolerant” in the future.
The apology video was shared online by the victim of the assault, identified only as ‘Helen’. The attacker and the transgender woman appeared together in the video, with the latter instructing the neo-Nazi on how precisely he should apologize.
The attacker began by proclaiming his “right-wing orientation,” apparently referring to his political, rather than sexual, preferences.
“I’m the grandson of a scout with SS division Galicia,” he said, referring to the 14th Waffen SS Grenadier Division – a WWII-era Nazi German unit, composed primarily of ethnic Ukrainian collaborators.
The attacker explained his assault on Helen by the fact that he was “uncomfortable” with her demeanor, which he deemed to be “unnatural.”
“Still, anyway, I apologize for my behavior. And I will be more tolerant of transgender women and men,” he declared.
Helen then demanded the attacker proclaim that “transgender women are women.” He showed some hesitation, saying he was not aware what the “correct” thing to say is.
The assault on Helen occurred in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv earlier this week, while the transsexual person was on leave to attend her mother’s funeral. She was harassed by the attacker on the street. He asked whether Helen is a “f*g” and then beat her up.
Videos of the assault went viral, with Ukrainian pro-LGBTQ activists urging the authorities to “provide decent protection for our defender,” revealing that Helen has actually served in the military for three years.