Two Italian Men Brutally Attacked Crossing a Rome Street for Holding Hands

An Italian same-sex couple were brutally attacked by strangers after attending a Pride event in the early morning hours of July 9 in Rome. Mattia and Antonio, fictitious names, were assaulted, insulted and beaten, reported the Italian news outlet TGla7. The couple was crossing the Viale di Val Fiorita in the city's Eur area.

The couple, according to Roma Today, were attacked last weekend at 4 a.m. after an LGBTQ+ evening in Rome. While they were crossing the street, hand in hand, a car cut them off and then stopped. A scream from one of the two men, scared, triggered the violence. Four people (three men and a woman) got out of the car and beat them, shouting homophobic insults, without anyone intervening except to film the incident. Antonio was hit with a belt, kicked and punched, while the woman hit both of them in the head. Despite many witnesses, no one intervened until someone stopped the attackers."

The couple appeared confused at first when confronted by the two men and attempted to fight back, but were outnumbered when the woman joined in. During the attack, which onlookers filmed, one of the attackers removed his belt and whipped one of the victims.

"As cars drive by, the couple remain tackled onto the floor of the road before three members of the public finally offer their assistance to the victims," added the Daily Mail.

According to the Italian LGBTQ+ social agency Gay Centre, which uploaded the horror footage to social media, the couple ended up in the emergency room following the assault.

"They said they felt trapped when the attackers saw that they were holding hands and started shouting 'faggots', the victims declared. Wrote Roma Today. In a statement, they wrote: "We can no longer accept living in a society where violence, like the one we suffered, is still a sad reality. My boyfriend and I want to send a message against any type of aggression. We are tired of having to be afraid to walk hand in hand, of constantly looking over our shoulders, of living with the constant anxiety of being victims of senseless acts".

"Even though we are not professional activists, we cannot remain silent in the face of such brutality," the men continued. "In addition to the physical pain of the beating, we were deeply hurt by the indifference of those who witnessed the scene. Instead of intervening to help us, these people preferred to film what happened and publish it on social media, mocking our pain. Reviewing the video, we were shocked by the ferocity with which we were attacked, without anyone fearing the serious consequences that such an act could have."

Alessandra Rossi, coordinator of Gay Help Line, said: "What happened to the two boys leaves us shocked and worried. In recent months Gay Help Line had already recorded an increase in reports of micro-aggression episodes that occurred in places of the lgbtqia+ community. There is concern, but also the strength that comes from indignation. The culture of hate cannot and must not be brought into places of sociality and entertainment. Greater attention is needed from the institutions, recognizing specific protections for those who are its victims."

The release of the video led to the identification of the three men and woman who attacked the men, reported the Gay Center later in the week.

But in the report, the Gay Center added: "Let's now let the protection system take its course, taking care to remember that in our country there is still no specific law for homotransphobic hate crimes . This means that the reasons that triggered and determined the violence, the violence that made us indignant, will not be taken into account in the legal system. It means that, even if criminal responsibilities are established, this episode cannot be recorded and included in an institutional monitoring system for homotransphobic hate crimes."