A couple carrying cans of beer out of a liquor store in Vaughn, Ontario, were attacked Saturday by men who apparently believed they had bought Bud Light, a brand reviled by conservatives after it sent a promotional can to a popular transgender influencer. Local authorities released photos of the suspects and asked the public to help identify them. The cans were reportedly not Bud Light, after all, but a different brand that had rainbows on the can.
A man and a woman were allegedly accosted by several males outside of a store located in the Jane Street and Major Mackenzie Drive West area.
"One of the suspects commented on the male victim's choice of alcohol and uttered anti-homosexual derogatory slurs as he approached the victim," police said in a news release. A police spokesperson told Global News the suspect commented on what they thought was a Bud Light purchase. "But it wasn't. He actually didn't have Bud Light," the spokesperson said, later noting the recent controversy surrounding the beer brand. I guess there were some rainbow colours on the cans and so it was initiated that way … Then upon further determination as to what they purchased, they still weren't happy with that. Let's just put it that way. And the insults continued."
Looks like Budweiser's groveling to these guys isn't working. Here's a recent Bud Light pride can design, presumably what the attackers thought they were seeing–there are some similar but lighter-colored cans on the ground in one of the shots. Here's the police's press release:
It is believed there was a crowd of people nearby at the time of this incident.
If you look carefully, officer, you can see them all filming the attack on their phones in the photo you released.
