Rabat- A widely circulated video on the internet depicts a group of people, including minors, brutally assaulting a person dressed in womens clothing. The attackers used the word “homosexual” because of the victim’s attire while screaming, “He is gay, and this is what he deserves,” among other homophobic comments.
The video shows a disturbing scene with homophobic phrases as a group of guys repeatedly punched and hit the victim while the person being attacked desperately tried to flee.
No witnesses attempted to intervene and help, even as the victim screamed for help and urged bystanders to call the police.
According to local media, an adult and three minors, aged 13 to 24, were detained by Tangier police on suspicion of being involved in an exchange of beatings and injuries in public on Saturday, November 12.
The same source added that intensive security operations have been launched to identify and arrest the suspects while the reasons and backgrounds behind this attack are still being investigated.
MALI movement, a universalist, feminist, secular and sexual and reproductive rights movement, have reported on their Facebook page that the victim was violently assaulted by 4 young men aged between 13 and 24 years because of their “homosexuality,” adding that the aggressors were arrested.
The incident is not the first of its kind in Morocco; in 2016, a shocking video showed a group of people brutally assaulting a man in the street of Meknes for allegedly wearing women’s clothing.
The Moroccan penal code prohibits homosexuality, according to article 489, “Any person who commits lewd or unnatural acts with an individual of the same sex shall be punished with a term of imprisonment of between six months and three years and a fine of MAD 120 to MAD 1200.”
