EURABIA: In France, spate of homophobic attacks on record is just ‘the tip of the iceberg.’

“On the ground, many attacks go unreported. Often, victims don’t complain for fear of reprisals, or because they’re afraid of speaking to police officers who aren’t aware of issues relating to LGBT identity. They’re scared of not being listened to.”

One example of this was provided in an interview that Mickael, 30, gave to Têtu, a specialist French magazine for gay people. He recounted that after being insulted by the manager of a Paris bar while paying the bill, “when I spoke to the police, I felt insulted for the second time – having to discuss with them on the meaning of the word ‘faggot’ was utterly bewildering”. The bar manager got a caution – but the specifically homophobic nature of the insult was not officially recorded.

According to the latest report by rights group SOS Homophobie, a mere 4 percent of victims of LGBT-phobic insults in France file a complaint.

This France24 report doesn’t give a single detail about the nature of the attackers — not one.