Thousands mourn Daniel Zamudio, who was beaten and branded with swastikas by neo-Nazis.

A 24-year-old man who was beaten and branded with swastikas by a neo-Nazi group earlier this month has been laid to rest, with thousands of mourners attending his funeral in Chile.

Friends, family, gay rights activists and foreign dignitaries gathered in Santiago on Friday, as police stated they were treating the murder of Daniel Zambudio as a hate crime.

Officers believe he was targeted because he was homosexual.

The tragedy has sparked a national outcry and a debate over whether the government should pass an anti-discrimination law offering stronger protections for victims of hate crimes.

Al Jazeera’s Rachel Levin reports.