PARIS: Gay Man Brutally Assaulted As Anti-Gay Attacks Rise Across France

A Paris gay man was brutally beaten this weekend.  French gay rights groups say the recent protests against same-sex marriage have led to a rise in anti-gay physical attacks. Via The Local:

According to [Wilfred] de Bruijn, he was attacked with his boyfriend in the 19th arrondissement of Paris on Saturday night simply because they were gay. France’s gay rights groups say the savage beating comes as homophobic incidents are on the rise. They blame the increasingly radical and stubborn anti-gay marriage movement. Hours after being subjected to the beating, De Bruijn put the photo on his Facebook page. It has since been shared thousands of times across social media. “Sorry to show you this,” the victim wrote. “It’s the face of homophobia. Last night 19th arrondissement, Paris, Olivier and I were badly beaten just for walking arm in arm. “I woke up in an ambulance covered in blood, missing tooth and broken bones around the eye.“I’m home now. Very sad.”

The president of SOS Homophobie spoke to The Local: "This was a shocking and incredibly violent incident. We have seen a thirty percent rise in the number of homophobic incidents since October. This is a result of the opposition towards the gay marriage bill."

A protest against this latest assault is scheduled for Wednesday.  Manif Por Tous, the organizers of the recent massive anti-gay rallies, has denounced the crime and asked if they may attend the protest.