Sandra Ramírez was walking to catch the bus to work in Santiago when a group of people insulted and beat her for being a lesbian. The attackers were wearing Nazi symbols. Three months ago, just a few kilometers away, another homophobic attack resulted in the death of Vicente Vera. Photo: Movilh website. Sandra Ramírez, 38, left her home in San Bernardo, in the southern part of the Santiago Metropolitan Region, yesterday to go to work. She was walking to the bus stop on San José de Ducaud Avenue when two men and a woman began insulting her—calling her “disgusting lesbian” and “faggot”—and then attacked her. Sandra managed to escape. Accompanied by her partner, she reported the incident at the 14th Police Station in San Bernardo. The Movement for Homosexual Integration and Liberation (Movilh) publicized the case . “They approached me, punched me repeatedly, and hit me with a bottle. All the while, they were yelling that people like me didn't deserve to live. I noticed they had Nazi symbols on their jackets, which terrified me. I haven't been able to get over what happened,” the victim told Movilh. Doctors from the Mutual de Seguridad (a workers' compensation insurance company) examined her, identified several injuries, and prescribed eight days of medical leave. This is the first report filed by a lesbian woman regarding an attack in a public place perpetrated by unknown assailants, Movilh reported. “We strongly condemn this cowardly attack against a woman. It is outrageous that homophobia manifests itself even when you're at work. We offer our full solidarity to Sandra, whose courage in reporting the attack is uncommon,” said Movilh spokesperson Óscar Rementería, adding that she is being offered legal assistance.

The hate crime of Vicente Vera

Less than eight kilometers from where Sandra was attacked, in southern Santiago, on December 17, 2016, Vicente Vera was murdered with a blow to the head.The 48-year-old man was at the entrance of his home in La Cisterna, tending to the garden with his partner, Henry Vázquez. They had lived together for 23 years. Then five men began harassing them, shouting homophobic slurs. Henry Vásquez told police that he tried to defend himself with a stick when one of the attackers pulled out a knife and stabbed Vicente Vera. He suffered at least four stab wounds to the head and other parts of his body. Seeing Vera wounded, Vásquez grabbed a shovel to defend him, but one of the attackers snatched the shovel from him and hit him on the head. Vicente was rushed to Barros Luco Hospital, where he died from the severity of his injuries. The Homicide Brigade of the PDI (Chilean Investigative Police) indicated that the couple had previously reported homophobic verbal abuse by one of the assailants.

Complaints increased

According to the latest report from MovilhCompared to 2015, hate crimes increased by 33%. Since the brutal murder of Daniel Zamudio in 2012 by a neo-Nazi group in San Borja Park, Santiago, Chile, a total of nine such crimes have been recorded. Zamudio became a symbol for the Chilean LGBTI community and sparked a debate about homophobia in the country and the lack of an anti-discrimination law related to these types of crimes. The law was finally enacted in July 2012 and is known as the "Zamudio Law."

[READ MORE: FIVE YEARS SINCE THE ATTACK ON DANIEL ZAMUDIO, MURDERED FOR BEING GAY ]

The report also highlights that 2016 saw a 28.6% increase in reported cases, with 332 incidents. And that, for the first time in 12 years, transgender and lesbian individuals reported more abuse than gay men.

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