Man Says He Was Attacked on Italian Beach for Being Gay
Listen to the story
A Milan-based event promoter, Angelo Ratti, has reported that he was attacked on a beach in Olbia, in Sardinia, because he is gay.
According to his account, about 30 people surrounded him, hit him with their fists, threw stones at him, and dragged him along the ground.
Ratti says the group shouted insults at him and told him to leave the beach. He described the attack as homophobic, meaning it was motivated by hatred of gay people.
He also said that the father of one of the people involved later made threats against him.
After the attack, Ratti went to the police and filed an official complaint. He wants the people responsible to be identified and punished.
Local police in Olbia are now investigating the incident. They are trying to confirm exactly what happened and who took part in it.
Ratti's case has drawn wide attention in the Italian media. Many commentators have called for stronger action against discrimination based on sexual orientation.
Attacks on gay people are still reported from time to time in Italy, and cases like this often lead to public debate about safety and equal rights.
No further details have been given about possible charges against the attackers, as the investigation is still at an early stage.
Vocabulary10 words
- promoter
- someone who organizes events or parties
- homophobic
- unfair or violent because someone is gay
- threats
- words that warn of harm to someone
- complaint
- an official report of a problem to police
- discrimination
- unfair treatment because of who someone is
- charges
- official accusations of a crime
- investigation
- police work to find out facts about a crime
- incident
- an event, often bad or unusual
- insults
- rude words said to hurt someone
- account
- someone's description of what happened
Quiz
Answer key
1. A Milan-based event promoter 2. About 30 people beat him and threw stones 3. Ratti filed a complaint and police are investigating
Fill-in-the-blank listening
Play the audio again and fill in the missing words as you listen.
A Milan-based event _____, Angelo Ratti, has reported that he was attacked on a beach in Olbia because he is gay.
According to his account, about 30 people surrounded him, hit him with their fists, threw _____ at him, and dragged him along the ground.
Ratti says the group shouted _____ at him and told him to leave the beach.
He described the attack as _____, meaning it was motivated by hatred of gay people.
He also said that the father of one of the people involved later made _____ against him.
After the attack, Ratti went to the police and filed an official _____.
Local police in Olbia are now _____ the incident.
Many commentators have called for stronger action against _____ based on sexual orientation.
Discussion questions
- Why do you think attacks like this still happen today?
- How should police and society respond to homophobic violence?
- What can communities do to protect people who feel unsafe because of their identity?
- Do you think media coverage of such cases helps improve public attitudes? Why or why not?