On Saturday evening, 20 football supporters attacked an LGBT+ youth meeting being held in a COC building in Eindhoven.
The COC is a national volunteer support organisation for LGBT+ rights, with local associations in many Dutch cities.
According to COC Eindhoven, the football supporters that stormed the meeting ripped the rainbow flag from its pole and tried to set it on fire. When a volunteer asked the aggressive mob to stop, he received a blow to the head for getting in the way.
The attackers also shouted homophobic and discriminatory slurs such as “kankerhomo” (which translates to “cancer gay”) at attendees of the youth meeting, reports Omroep Brabant. Most of these attendees were minors up to eighteen years of age.
Minors from the meeting are shocked
Fortunately, the volunteer that was assaulted is doing well, given the circumstances. According to the chairman of COC Eindhoven, Benjamin Ector, “the blow was not too bad, it seems that he has not suffered any permanent damage.”
The youth group that attended the meeting, on the other hand, was frightened by what happened, and help is being offered to those who need it.
READ MORE | Even in Amsterdam: homophobes shoot gel gun at people sitting on gay bar’s terrace
“What started as a normal and pleasant meeting turned into a real hell,” Ector stated.
Despite the flagpole being broken and the flag missing, Ector notes that the damage to the building could certainly have been worse.
Football supporters are getting a bad reputation
The COC group suspects the attackers to be football supporters that attended the match between PSV and Excelsior, which started an hour after the incident, as they mentioned PSV during the encounter.
This isn’t the only time anti-gay violence has hit the news in recent weeks. Last Tuesday, anti-gay chants were heard against PSV player, Xavi Simons, by Spakenburg supporters.
Ector told Omroep Brabant that, “as long as anti-gay chants are allowed, you normalise such behaviour. Someone has to say: here is the red line.”
#RT @COCNederland: De recente woorden van haat jegens de regenbooggemeenschap leiden tot daden van haat. Dat moet stoppen! Door iedereen van jongs af aan bij te brengen dat je elkaar moet respecteren, ongeacht wie je bent en op wie je verliefd wordt. En door haat misdrijven …
— COC Eindhoven (@COCEindhoven) April 10, 2023
Translation: The recent words of hatred towards the rainbow community lead to acts of hatred. That has to stop! By teaching everyone from an early age to respect each other, no matter who you are and who you fall in love with. And through hate crimes…
The COC Eindhoven has invited the municipality of Eindhoven, the KNVB, and PSV, for a meeting to guarantee safety for everyone before, during, and after football matches. It also aims to put an end to anti-gay chants in football stadiums.
What do you think about this incident? Tell us in the comments below!
