not exactly a *pleasant* way to end a night out...
how am i supposed to relax and go to sleep now? i'm still in shock from what happened at the student's union :/
it was the alternative night tonight and there was a band playing, which meant there was a lot of non-students in, filling the place up a bit.
it was a good night, right up until the end when the djs pete and emma were packing up and the few of us left are all getting ready to go home.
pete's girlfriend, louise, had been randomly dancing with this guy and she said, look, i've got a boyfriend. and this guy came up to her at the end and said, i want a word with you.
pete gets up and says, you don't need to have a word with her. then she says no, it's ok let me have a word with him...so somehow, the next thing, this guy's at the screen partition thing and i see him headbutting pete. which i was a bit surprised about to say the least. the guy was tall, has tribal tattoos up his arms and on his neck and he's wearing a white shirt. in a way we should have seen that this guy and his brother (shorter, wearing a black shirt) were looking for trouble, they'd been hanging around and obviously wanted to start something (either a fight, or else something with one of us girls-they asked if we were going to indigo rooms...hardly likely at 2.10am!).
then there's a scuffle at the bar (because the guy's having a go at pete and louise is trying to get the guy, around about this point his brother got involved) and louise loses her shoes...
i sort of was watching in horror but i felt helpless, i didn't want to get involved. i mean, where are the big strong bouncer type guys when you need them? well nowhere near the gala h-w students union, that's for sure.
then i remember seeing a carry-on through the windows in the double doors. i saw pete getting held by the neck of his scarf and hoodie. and this guy just wouldn't let go. there's like three or four ppl grappling at him but he still won't let go. then pete moves back and the guy gets held up against the wall by three of my friends. and louise slaps the guy for punching her. his brother is still involved and 3 ppl including one of the guys and louise ends up on the ground outside the exit. pete was shouting, you don't hit a bird!
the next thing i remember seeing was pete with blood running down his face (nosebleed, because of the headbutt) and another girl holding her throat, as if she's been assaulted (which she had). and pete's telling louise to come away. and she's pulling away from him, trying to get at the guy. one of the bar staff warns them that she's going to call the police.
minutes later - i've gone to check if the police have been called, and someone's shouting, everyone get inside! someone get the keys! lock the door! because these guys are not leaving. eventually the door is locked and all of us students are safely inside, but the guys are still trying to force their way back in (i remember later noticing blood on the doorhandles and various places, and prints on the glass where the guy had punched it) emma's taxi arrives and the two guys jump in it and it drives off.
we all stay and wait a while because it doesn't feel safe to go outside - that, and we're all still in shock. sarah says, somebody crack open the vodka! or better still, something stronger - whiskey!
that's not even the whole of it, i don't know exactly all the bits in between because i chose not to get involved and i didn't see all of what happened, i was scared. i can tell you this much, there was no way i was walking back to my flat after that!
we all waited until the police got there and gave them our contact details. those who got assaulted gave statements. there's a list of all the non-students who signed in that night and we know ppl who know them, we also gave a description of both and know they're brothers. so really it's just a process of elimination. five of my friends got assaulted, i hope to god they'll catch those fuckers and charge them. a bit nervous about giving a statement though :/ but the best thing is to write down what happened, so i've been told.
it was the alternative night tonight and there was a band playing, which meant there was a lot of non-students in, filling the place up a bit.
it was a good night, right up until the end when the djs pete and emma were packing up and the few of us left are all getting ready to go home.
pete's girlfriend, louise, had been randomly dancing with this guy and she said, look, i've got a boyfriend. and this guy came up to her at the end and said, i want a word with you.
pete gets up and says, you don't need to have a word with her. then she says no, it's ok let me have a word with him...so somehow, the next thing, this guy's at the screen partition thing and i see him headbutting pete. which i was a bit surprised about to say the least. the guy was tall, has tribal tattoos up his arms and on his neck and he's wearing a white shirt. in a way we should have seen that this guy and his brother (shorter, wearing a black shirt) were looking for trouble, they'd been hanging around and obviously wanted to start something (either a fight, or else something with one of us girls-they asked if we were going to indigo rooms...hardly likely at 2.10am!).
then there's a scuffle at the bar (because the guy's having a go at pete and louise is trying to get the guy, around about this point his brother got involved) and louise loses her shoes...
i sort of was watching in horror but i felt helpless, i didn't want to get involved. i mean, where are the big strong bouncer type guys when you need them? well nowhere near the gala h-w students union, that's for sure.
then i remember seeing a carry-on through the windows in the double doors. i saw pete getting held by the neck of his scarf and hoodie. and this guy just wouldn't let go. there's like three or four ppl grappling at him but he still won't let go. then pete moves back and the guy gets held up against the wall by three of my friends. and louise slaps the guy for punching her. his brother is still involved and 3 ppl including one of the guys and louise ends up on the ground outside the exit. pete was shouting, you don't hit a bird!
the next thing i remember seeing was pete with blood running down his face (nosebleed, because of the headbutt) and another girl holding her throat, as if she's been assaulted (which she had). and pete's telling louise to come away. and she's pulling away from him, trying to get at the guy. one of the bar staff warns them that she's going to call the police.
minutes later - i've gone to check if the police have been called, and someone's shouting, everyone get inside! someone get the keys! lock the door! because these guys are not leaving. eventually the door is locked and all of us students are safely inside, but the guys are still trying to force their way back in (i remember later noticing blood on the doorhandles and various places, and prints on the glass where the guy had punched it) emma's taxi arrives and the two guys jump in it and it drives off.
we all stay and wait a while because it doesn't feel safe to go outside - that, and we're all still in shock. sarah says, somebody crack open the vodka! or better still, something stronger - whiskey!
that's not even the whole of it, i don't know exactly all the bits in between because i chose not to get involved and i didn't see all of what happened, i was scared. i can tell you this much, there was no way i was walking back to my flat after that!
we all waited until the police got there and gave them our contact details. those who got assaulted gave statements. there's a list of all the non-students who signed in that night and we know ppl who know them, we also gave a description of both and know they're brothers. so really it's just a process of elimination. five of my friends got assaulted, i hope to god they'll catch those fuckers and charge them. a bit nervous about giving a statement though :/ but the best thing is to write down what happened, so i've been told.