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Italy: Gay cabaret attacked in Tuscany

01 September 1999

In Torre del Lago (Lucca), on the Tuscan coast, a gay cabaret show was stopped by a violent mob which included AN (Alleanza Nazionale) militants and local councillors. The show had been moved from the central square to the lake, so as not to interfere with the village fair, also scheduled for 20 August. The local council authorised the show in a special session, but local people started organising in the afternoon to prevent it from taking place. At 5pm shops closed and a crowd shouting slogans such as "Faggots, damn faggots. You'll end up in the crematoriums" and "You're trash, go back to the laagers", gathered in proximity of the stage. When the directors of the Tuscan Arci-gay organisation asked for police support, they were told that it was a public space, open to everyone. The protesters subsequently attacked the stage, taking it apart and threatening to hunt down gays.

An AN spokesmen claimed that they have nothing against gays, saying that "[the resort] is an area for family tourism, it can't become a centre of attraction for gays." However, Sergio Lo Giudice, president of the Arci-gay association, talked of a covert campaign against gays and lesbians. He said that a few days earlier, the Arci-gay secretary in Ravenna was run over, and then insulted. Giudice alleges that he was beaten by AN militants in Bologna on the night when Giorgio Guazzaloca, the right-wing candidate, won the election. They then proceeded to paint celtic crosses all over the Arci-gay section headquarters, shouting "We will finally be able to kick you out". The attack happened only days after Giulio Maceratini, leader of the AN senators, criticised the "pro-gay political groups which back D'Alema's government", in connection with investigations into the death of a Folgore elite corps conscript in Pisa.

La Repubblica 21.8.99., 22.8.99.