.
Italy: Rome council steps up surveillance after gay attacks
Rome, 26 August (AKI) - Rome's conservative mayor Gianni Alemanno has ordered more security cameras to be installed at city's main gay venues following several recent homophobic attacks in the city. On Tuesday, a gay disco in Rome's northeastern Tibertina district was set alight and last Saturday two young gay men were attacked at one of the city's main summer venues in the southern EUR district.
An extra security camera as already been installed at EUR's 'Gay Village' since Saturday's attack, in which one of the gay men was stabbed and the other struck with a glass bottle.
The new camera is connected around the clock to the local police station.
Following consultations with Rome's gay community, the city council has also agreed to create and fund an observatory on sexual intolerance, to be run jointly with the city's gay associations.
The city council has also agreed to sponsor a bill that would make sexual intolerance an 'aggravating factor' in crimes committed against individuals.
"Repecting the law and the individual must be a value for absolutely everyone," Alemanno said on Wednesday.
He denied that homophobic violence was growing in Rome.
"Rome is a tolerant city, but we need to go after and punish a small minority of dangerously intolerant individuals," he stressed.
One of Rome's main gay organisations, the Mario Mieli Circle disagreed with Alemanno's assessment, describing the recent attacks as "intimidating".
"We are certain they stem from blindly violent attitudes to the gay, lesbian and transexual community.
"But our community will not be cowed by the general climate of fanatical intolerance. We urge the government and security forces to bring to justice the perpetrators of these vandalous acts towards people and property," the association added.
It will on 12 September organise a special 'Killer Cow' disco called 'White Party - More Culture, Less Fear' in Rome's Marconi district. The event coincides with Rome's 'White Night' when many museums and monuments are open to the public all night.
Noone was injured in Tuesday's arson attempt against Tiburtina's Qube discoteque. It was closed for maintenance at the time of the attack and firemen managed to extinguish the blaze before it spread through the building.
Police on Tuesday arrested a 40-year-old former boxer in connection with Saturday's EUR attack. He is known locally as 'Swastika' for his predilection for carving the Nazi symbol on local park benches.
Italy: Rome council steps up surveillance after gay attacks
Rome, 26 August (AKI) - Rome's conservative mayor Gianni Alemanno has ordered more security cameras to be installed at city's main gay venues following several recent homophobic attacks in the city. On Tuesday, a gay disco in Rome's northeastern Tibertina district was set alight and last Saturday two young gay men were attacked at one of the city's main summer venues in the southern EUR district.
An extra security camera as already been installed at EUR's 'Gay Village' since Saturday's attack, in which one of the gay men was stabbed and the other struck with a glass bottle.
The new camera is connected around the clock to the local police station.
Following consultations with Rome's gay community, the city council has also agreed to create and fund an observatory on sexual intolerance, to be run jointly with the city's gay associations.
The city council has also agreed to sponsor a bill that would make sexual intolerance an 'aggravating factor' in crimes committed against individuals.
"Repecting the law and the individual must be a value for absolutely everyone," Alemanno said on Wednesday.
He denied that homophobic violence was growing in Rome.
"Rome is a tolerant city, but we need to go after and punish a small minority of dangerously intolerant individuals," he stressed.
One of Rome's main gay organisations, the Mario Mieli Circle disagreed with Alemanno's assessment, describing the recent attacks as "intimidating".
"We are certain they stem from blindly violent attitudes to the gay, lesbian and transexual community.
"But our community will not be cowed by the general climate of fanatical intolerance. We urge the government and security forces to bring to justice the perpetrators of these vandalous acts towards people and property," the association added.
It will on 12 September organise a special 'Killer Cow' disco called 'White Party - More Culture, Less Fear' in Rome's Marconi district. The event coincides with Rome's 'White Night' when many museums and monuments are open to the public all night.
Noone was injured in Tuesday's arson attempt against Tiburtina's Qube discoteque. It was closed for maintenance at the time of the attack and firemen managed to extinguish the blaze before it spread through the building.
Police on Tuesday arrested a 40-year-old former boxer in connection with Saturday's EUR attack. He is known locally as 'Swastika' for his predilection for carving the Nazi symbol on local park benches.
Δεν υπάρχουν σχόλια:
Δημοσίευση σχολίου