Gay man beaten up by group in heart of Amsterdam; Police seek witnesses
The police are looking for witnesses of a gay bashing in the heart of Amsterdam just before Christmas. One man and then his entire group beat up a man after the victim had identified himself as homosexual, the police said.
The assault happened at the intersection of Vijzelstraat and Herengracht at around 4:15 a.m. on Sunday, December 22. The victim and a friend were sitting on a bench waiting for a taxi home and witnessed how two men insulted a gay couple because of their orientation. Immediately afterward, one of the perpetrators walked up to them and asked for a cigarette.
The victim replied by criticizing the man’s language in his interaction with the couple. “The suspect reacted violently to that. In an attempt to calm things down, the victim indicated that he is also homosexual,” the police said.
The suspect pushed the victim hard backward and then “powerfully lashed out at the victim’s head with his fist.” While the suspect continued to beat up the victim, more men gathered around him. The victim tried to get away, but the group chased him down, kicking him to the ground and then continuing to kick his head, neck, and shoulder as he lay helpless. The group eventually let him go and walked off across the canal toward Koningsplein.
The police are looking for witnesses. The main suspect is a man who appeared to be in his mid-twenties. He is around 1.8 meters tall with lightly tanned skin color and short black hair. At the time of the attack, he wore a multi-colored jacket with black sleeves and light-colored pants.
“In the Netherlands, you are allowed to be who you are and love who you want. Tackling discrimination is important and as police, we take these kinds of cases very seriously,” the police said.
