Homophobic attack in Buenos Aires: "It was an attempted murder"
Shouting “fucking faggot”, about eight individuals attacked them with blows and stones
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BUENOS AIRES, Argentina. Two men were victims of a homophobic attack this Monday as they left the San Martin Fest in the Balvanera neighborhood of Buenos Aires. Shouting “fucking faggot,” around eight men assaulted them with punches and stones. One of the victims described it as “attempted murder” and pointed to the negligent actions of the Buenos Aires City Police and the medical personnel who treated them.
They are Gerardo Gabriel Garvizú (29) and Alejandro Oscar Ibarra (32), two friends who were celebrating their reunion at the LGBT+ party in the space called El Teatrito , located on Sarmiento Street 1752.
“Inside we felt good, they took care of us. I’ve always felt good in clubs like this. I never imagined that as we were leaving the place we would receive this beating from about eight people,” Gabriel, one of the people beaten on Rodríguez Peña street, between Sarmiento and Perón, told Presentes as he left the party.
“We left happy, hugging, kissing. I think that was a reason for them to unleash their hatred on us,” he added.
Oscar was hit in the head with a rock, his friend said. Gabriel believed it was an attempted murder because both his friend's and his life were in danger.
“They ended up overpowering us. They hit us in the face, in the head. I started bleeding. It was a horrible moment. I tried to stay strong and not lose consciousness because I wasn't alone and I was worried about their well-being,” he described.
As a result of the attack, Garvizú doesn't remember "their faces, who they were," nor "what they were wearing." However, he noted, "I don't think it would be that difficult to locate them through security cameras, given that it's such a busy neighborhood."
Attacked and abandoned by the police and health services
Gabriel criticized the actions of both the police and medical personnel who were involved throughout the entire process.
“We waited for about 40 minutes for the ambulance, which never arrived,” he said. He added that the police officers refused to take them to a hospital or a police station to file a report.
The police officers involved are from Precinct 1B, located at 770 Tacuarí Street. “They never went looking for the culprits,” he said. The precinct did not answer calls from this news outlet.
From the scene of the incident, they traveled in a taxi to the José Ramos Mejía General Hospital , but there they also received mistreatment, as they told Presentes .
“We entered through the ambulance bay. A doctor came out and told us we couldn't be treated there, that we should take a taxi to the Argerich Hospital because they didn't have a CT scanner. So, without treating our wounds, without knowing what was wrong with us, in the state of shock and vulnerability we were in. It was awful. There was abandonment. Our own colleagues and the head of the emergency room then covered for this person,” Gabriel stated.
They decided to stay at the scene and were eventually treated in the hospital's emergency room. There, they received X-rays and stitches, but no psychological support.
From verbal to physical
They are currently recovering. Oscar Ibarra, who was most seriously injured, was discharged yesterday from a clinic in the Colegiales neighborhood, and they are waiting for him to recover before filing a complaint. “He has cuts on his head, he received several stitches, he has a fractured jaw, and bruises all over his body. We are in a very bad place psychologically,” Garvizú said.
The LGBT Ombudsman's Office contacted the victims and offered its assistance in filing the corresponding complaints with the Public Prosecutor's Office and INADI Against Discrimination, Xenophobia and Racism). It also offered the services co-managed by the organization La Fulana at the Pepa Gaitán Comprehensive Center .
“There are still situations of discrimination and violence towards diversity,” said LGBT+ activist María Rachid, head of the Institute against Discrimination of the Ombudsman of the city of Buenos Aires .
According to her, these attacks are encouraged and endorsed “by hate speech in the media and politics, which is on the rise and, in turn, increasing discrimination and violence.” “It’s a matter of concern for us, and we are working to prevent it and respond to any situations that arise,” she stated.
The IMPA Popular High School denounced the attack on Oscar Ibarra, a graduate of the school, through its social media channels. “These homophobic attacks cannot continue. We reject and condemn these types of actions and demand immediate redress,” they stated in a press release.
“I would like justice to be served. I want these people to be arrested and for this to be made public. I don't want the attack we suffered, nor the actions of the police and medical personnel in such a serious situation, to go unpunished,” concluded Gabriel Garvizú.
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