A father’s furious outburst shocked patrons at a bar in the Santa Chiara district of central Naples. He was heard viciously berating his daughter, who was working at the establishment, obsessively repeating his demand: ‘you must change your surname’. The man, who could not accept his daughter’s homosexuality, had a history of violent and repeated family arguments on the subject that had made the situation at home unbearable. After the public tirade, he left but did not give up.
Hours later, he escalated his campaign of harassment. He appeared at the central city residence where his 24-year-old daughter lives with her mother and began pounding on the door with his fists, screaming threats unless they let him in. The two women naturally refused. Meanwhile, Carabinieri officers from the Centro company, who were patrolling the historic centre and Chiaia district bars for public order checks, were alerted by their operations centre and dispatched to the scene.
The 51-year-old man was in the process of trying to break down the door to the apartment where his barricaded daughter was inside. The military police ascertained that this was not an isolated incident, and even in front of the officers, the man continued to threaten to kill his daughter. He was subsequently arrested and taken to jail. He will face charges for stalking and domestic abuse.
This case follows a pattern of recent intolerance in the Naples area. Just months ago in Ercolano, Carabinieri arrested a married couple accused of unlawful imprisonment and domestic abuse for locking their 19-year-old daughter in the house because they disapproved of her sexual orientation and her relationship with a 20-year-old woman undergoing a gender transition. In another tragic incident, a 16-year-old boy from the Poggioreale neighbourhood was beaten by his father with a wrench for being gay.
Following the arrest of the 51-year-old, the same Carabinieri unit completed its public order operation against unruly nightlife. Officers cited 47 people for road traffic violations, 16 of whom were for failing to wear a helmet. A total of 165 individuals were identified, 10 vehicles were seized, and 4 repeat offenders were reported for illegal parking.