“In the middle of Pride month and determined to fight homophobic hate, I had to”. This Wednesday, June 21, the deputy mayor of Montreuil Luke DiGallo determined to testify about the homophobic ambush he suffered on Friday 2 June.
On his Twitter account, the elected official recounted his attack: “ On the evening of June 2, I was the victim of a violent homophobic attack », begins his testimony, accompanied by a photo of his wounds.
” It took me several days to find the strength to confide in myself publicly. This is what happened to me “, he writes in a thread relaunched a thousand times to date. The chosen one explains that he suffered this ambush after being targeted by the gay dating application Grindr. ” That evening we were to meet for the first time at the Parc des Guillands in Montreuil. When I arrived, a young man was waiting for me. He wore a surgical mask under the guise of being allergic to pollen, making it difficult to recognize him. »
Homophobic slurs
But as the two men talk as they walk down a park alley, the encounter turns into physical assault: ” Suddenly he stopped in a very dark place. At that moment she yelled “OUT” and three people came out from behind some treestestify. With a very quick movement, he put his arm around my neck to control me. The other three jumped on me and punched me in the face. One of them shouted ‘DIRTY PD, PEDOPHILE’. »writes the chosen one.
Read also: LGBTphobic violence is in “ worrying increase “, according to SOS Homophobia
All while other attackers snatched the bag that contained his two mobile phones, the town hall card, money and his bank cards. Despite numerous cries for help from the chosen one, and while the park was not yet empty of its passers-by, no one came to help him. “Before fleeing, one of the four attackers threw my keys on the ground, as if to give a bone to an abused dog. »
Filed a complaint
Following his assault, Luc Di Gallo filed charges of “meeting theft” and “violence committed because of the victim’s sexual orientation,” he revealed Mediapart. However, according to the newspaper, the prosecution Bobigny would not have preserved the homophobic character of the attack at this stage, despite the modus operandi of the attackers and the insults.
Despite this, underlines Luc Di Gallo in his testimony ” the professionalism of the police officers of the Montreuil police station which received your complaint, would like to point out that a ” filing a complaint is never easy for a victim. »
And that’s also why he insisted on testifying publicly about his attack. ” Police are not always trained to properly receive homophobic complaints. This was not the case here. I know they are mobilized to find my attackers. I thank them “, he adds.
The deputy mayor instead denounced the ways in which the examination to ascertain his total incapacity for work (ITT) took place. Because according to him the doctor was holding in his hand “ inappropriate comments that induce feelings of guilt and question the homophobic nature of the assault “.
Luc Di Gallo did not hesitate to testify to his experience in its entirety, from the assault, to legal and medical procedures.
It is also to make all these crimes and all these other victims visible that Luc Di Gallo has decided to speak:
“I want to talk to all these unseen or unseen victims and tell them they are not alone. I want to show that shame is on the side of homophobes. I mean that homophobia is not normal in our society, that these ambushes cannot take place in indifference. »
Luc Di Gallo, deputy mayor of Montreuil.
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Source: Madmoizelle
Mary Crossley is an author at “The Fashion Vibes”. She is a seasoned journalist who is dedicated to delivering the latest news to her readers. With a keen sense of what’s important, Mary covers a wide range of topics, from politics to lifestyle and everything in between.
