A man walking in Midtown Manhattan Wednesday was attacked by a gaggle of seven youngsters, who he said hurled anti-gay slurs at him before stabbing, kicking and punching him.

Rafael Ribot, 44, was talking on his cellphone while walking on Tenth Avenue near 43rd Street around 11:30 p.m. when he was surrounded by the horde of strangers who, unprovoked, began yelling anti-gay epithets at him, cops said.

Ribot, who said he is gay, told WPIX that he responded to the taunts, after which the confrontation took a violent turn, with the suspects repeatedly punching and kicking him, before stabbing him with a knife in the thigh, as seen on surveillance video.

“They go from being in front of you, to being around you,” the victim told the station. “And the words turn into fists, and then it becomes a knife, and then possibly another knife.”

The assailants then fled east on 44th Street, leaving Ribot bleeding on the sidewalk.

A pair of good Samaritans came to his aid, tied a belt as a tourniquet around his injured thigh and got him to Mount Sinai Hospital, where he underwent surgery to close up the 4-inch-deep stab wound.

Ribot, who has since been discharged, said he also suffered contusions to his face in the melee.

The NYPD said its Hate Crimes Task Force is investigating the stabbing.

Police have released surveillance footage and photos of the accused attackers, along with detailed descriptions of the clothing each was last seen wearing.   

Ribot said police have been supportive of him, and he said he was convinced his attackers would soon be brought to justice. He also thanked the kind strangers who had helped save his life.

“This is a city about people, where people come to be who they are,” he said. “It was nice to see that that can still be.”