More than 1,000 people marched in Rome on Sept. 4 in protest of an ongoing anti-gay crime wave.
In one incident, a gay couple was attacked outside a gay club, allegedly by a far-right activist nicknamed “Little Swastika.” According to Amnesty International, one of the victims was stabbed and required surgery to save his life.
On Aug. 29, a nightclub that hosts a popular gay night was set alight by someone who broke a window and tossed in a flammable liquid. Firefighters extinguished the blaze quickly.
On Sept. 2, skinheads threw large firecrackers into a crowd in Rome’s very gay Via di San Giovanni in Laterano (St. John Lateran Street). One person was slightly injured and a scooter was damaged.
Leading gay group Arcigay said that Italy had seen as many anti-gay incidents nationwide by the end of August as in all of last year.
Arcigay President Aurelia Mancuso said the attacks highlight the fact that Italy desperately needs a gay-inclusive hate-crimes law to stop “dangerous fringe elements” from thinking “they can get away with violence.”
By Rex Wockner
