Two Arrested for Homophobic Attack on Gay Youths in Catania Fast Food

Police in Catania have executed a precautionary detention order against a 19-year-old and a 21-year-old, charged with aggravated assault and unlawful restraint motivated by homophobic discrimination. The Prosecutor’s Office states the investigation centers on the “brutal beating” of three gay youths inside a fast food restaurant, involving “slaps, kicks, punches, and thrown stools.” The attack was halted by the intervention of a girl present in the establishment, who dispersed pepper spray into the air rendering the area unbreathable, and a waste collection worker who physically blocked one suspect as he struck a victim with a helmet.