Paris, Pau, Lyon, Saint-Dié-des-Vosges and Pont-Saint-Esprit. Five cases of anti-gay violence have gained prominence since end-May in five different cities. This impressive number indicates neither coincidence nor merely isolated cases. The SOS Homophobie association has observed an increase in the number of testimonies it has received. Joël Deumier, president of the association, has given us the numbers in advance:

[quote] We have found a gross augmentation in May, with 22% more calls compared to last year. And in June, though there are still four intervals left [This article is from late June -- OP], we have counted 77 calls, against 58 in April and 71 in May.

Among the calls already registered for June, nine concern physical aggression and twelve verbal harassment.

[bold] Three days, three cases of violence[/bold]

The last case of violence recorded happened in Saint-Dié-des-Vosges. On June 22, by about 21h, a 20-year-old man was assaulted by two men in a car. With the windows open, they stopped where he was at and covered him with homophobic insults. Afterwards, they got down their vehicle and jumped up the young pedestrian. Passersby intervened and the aggressors quickly fled. The young man, with his face deformed by the blows, was immediately transported to the hospital. There, he was subjected to restorative surgery. Doctors have given him 21 days rest. Investigators have already initiated proceedings. The driver, the one attacker identified so far, will be tried on July 11 for public violence. The aggravating circumstance of the homophobic nature of the aggression has not so far been evoked by prosecutors.

The day before, it was a male couple that was violently attacked in Lyon. At around 2h30, as Boris and Alfredo left la fête de la Musique and went home holding hands, they were approached by two men and a woman. Insults and blows rain their way, until a police brigade intervened. Boris was taken away with a fractured shinbone and given 45 days rest. The couple quickly contacted a lawyer and decided to testify in order "to raise awareness".

That same day, a certain Basile tweets: "If you want to know what homophobia looks like..." with two pictures, one of a t-shirt stained by blood, the other of a pair of glasses broken. The day before, Basile and his boyfriend were assaulted around l’Hôtel de ville in Paris as they had a night out with friends. Basile has pressed charges for group violence with homophobic character and given his testimony to TÊTU. The aggressors have not so far been apprehended.

[bold] Investigation on homopbic character [/bold]

On June 8, a couple of Gard residents who were walking their dog, were also assaulted by a group of individuals. Despite the intervention of a security agent who was nearby, Marc Gibelin, one of the two victims, ended up with a fractured nose and a cracked frontal bone. An investigation is under way to determine whether this attack was motivated by homophobia.

On 28 May, a forty-something was also beaten badly in Pau. He is still hospitalized in intensive care. As with the attack in Gard, an investigation still hasn't concluded whether the victim was targeted just for his homosexuality. The only certainty is that the first insult to be shot was "faggot". As the Pau resident tried to start to talk, his attacker launched a blow that makes him tumble down. His head hit the edge of the sidewalk and he has since lost consciousness. Due to his state, his testimony has not yet been collected by investigators.

[bold] May and June, months of LGBT visibility[/bold]

Even if, in light of these testimonies and of SOS Homophobie's numbers, this year seems to be more violent than the one before, Joël Deumier states: "May and June are very often the months where we get the most calls."

The reason? "They're months of strong LGBT visibility"...

Another possible explanation for the spike in attacks, is the electoral year in progress...