Far-Right Militants Convicted for Brutal Homophobic Attack in Paris
A Night of Violence
Following the victory of the National Rally (RN) in the European elections, four young men were convicted of assaulting a passerby in Paris, hurling homophobic slurs at him. Among the attackers was Gabriel Loustau, son of Axel Loustau, a former RN official and close associate of Marine Le Pen.
Unmasking the Far-Right
It is often said that the masks of the far-right fall more easily at night. This adage proved true as four far-right militants were sentenced on Wednesday, June 12th, for their involvement in a homophobic attack that occurred on the night from Sunday to Monday. They were “celebrating” the RN’s European election victory. Gabriel Loustau, 23, son of Axel Loustau, a former leader of the GUD (Groupe Union Défense) and ex-RN official, was among those convicted.
A Random Assault
Late at night, the four men, all flagged by security services due to their far-right affiliations, roamed the streets of Paris’s 6th arrondissement while intoxicated. They randomly attacked a 19-year-old young man, wielding a stick and a belt. According to Le Parisien, they shouted, “You filthy faggot, you’re a trans.” The victim was then punched in the face. The police, alerted to the scene, quickly apprehended the suspects, who were detained after sobering up in a holding cell.
“When Hitler Returns”
During custody, one of the suspects reportedly said, “In three weeks, we can beat up fags as much as we want,” alluding to a potential far-right win in the legislative elections, according to Libération. At their immediate trial, the court highlighted their behavior at the police station, where they sang military songs and threatened the officers, saying, “You’ll see when Bardella is in power, when Hitler returns.” The prosecutor described the acts as “gratuitous violence” of “particular gravity.” The defendants denied all involvement, though one had sent a message after the attack saying his friends had “beat up a gay.”
The Sentences
Two of the defendants were sentenced to five and seven months in prison for assault and were immediately incarcerated. Gabriel Loustau and another accomplice received six-month suspended sentences for “failing to assist a person in danger.” The previous day, another far-right militant had been sentenced to seven years in prison for “individual terrorist enterprise,” having planned a violent attack in France, possibly targeting an LGBT Pride march. Who said the far-right were allies of the LGBTQ+ community ?
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