Firebomb victims 'lucky to be alive' as police treat East London arson attack as transphobic hate crime
27 April 2023, 14:25 | Updated: 27 April 2023, 16:29
The victim of a firebomb attack that gutted an East London flat have said they are "lucky to be alive" after Scotland Yard confirmed the incident is being treated as a transphobic hate crime.
Flatmates Harper Celeste, Novaya Shey and Bartosz Ligocki escaped from the fifth floor of their Whitechapel flat after it was engulfed in flames during the early hours of April 14.
4 fire engines and 24 firefighters battled flames for close to an hour after the arsonist struck at 6.15am, as smoke towered from the block of flats.
According to a Go Fund Me page set up in aid of the victims, the fire alarms in the building failed to sound and warn the tenants of the looming danger, with Shey instead hearing an explosion from the flat's window before warning the flatmates.
With over £17,500 raised so far, the fundraising page pledges that a portion of the funds will go towards legal fees in the group's case against the letting agent and landlady for "not complying with legal standards".
Harper, 26, a transgender freelance stylist for the likes of musician Boy George, had £35,000 of clothes destroyed in the attack ahead of an impending fashion shoot.
Describing the attack as a "nightmare", the stylist highlighted the attacker has "robbed" her, Novaya, 26, a transgender dancer, and Bartosz, 29, a gay stylist, of "our home and livelihoods".
Harper said: “The first we knew of the fire there was a crackling from the heat and then the windows exploded, it was like a bomb going off.
“I honestly think we are lucky to be alive. Whoever did this would have known we would be in bed, we could easily have died.”
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The Metropolitan Police have since confirmed they are treating the incident as a transphobic hate crime.
Acting Ch Insp Dave Hodges said: "We do not tolerate transphobia and are working closely with the London Fire Brigade in Tower Hamlets to extend support to the three victims of what was clearly a very frightening ordeal."
Jack Gilbert, local resident and member of the Met's LGBTQI+ Independent Advisory Group, told the BBC he was pleased it was being investigated as a hate crime.
"This means they know it will impact trust and confidence," he added.
According to the Go Fund Me page, the attack shows the "ramifications" of "trans people are being so heavily scrutinised in the media".
It adds that trans lives have "become table conversations and our eradication becomes less important due to the sheer amount of violence we face."
The flatmates are yet to return home following the attack, with London Fire Brigade confirming a stairwell running from the fourth floor to the fifth floor of the six-storey building had been destroyed.
Harper continued: “People are rallying around to help us though and we would like to thank them all so much.
"I had £35,000 of clothes for a fashion shoot in there. They weren’t mine, they were a client’s for a job. It’s a nightmare. I don’t know what I am going to do. This attacker has robbed us of our home and livelihoods.
"We worked from home as well as lived there. We have lost everything.”
