Disturbing footage has shown there shocking moment a gang of men attacked a gay man and a trans woman in Palestine. (Screen captures via Twitter)
A trans woman, a gay man and their friend were brutally battered in Palestine by a group of men – kicked and shoved into a car – before being robbed yesterday.
Sammy, a trans woman, was in the West Bank to attend a doctor’s appointment in the northwestern neighbourhood of Kafr ‘Aqab on Tuesday with two friends when refugees descended upon them from a nearby camp.
Assaulting the trio, the attackers damaged their car, leaving the doors dented, and took off with 52,000 shekels.
All the while Palestinian police officers allegedly “stood idle” and did nothing, according to an activist.
Trans woman and gay man pummelled by men, their car completely destroyed in violent brawl.
Sammy, based in Jaffa, Israel, travelled to the West Bank for a checkup with her doctor following her rhinoplasty last week, according to local media and witness accounts.
Following the appointment, Sammy and a friend were clothes shopping while a gay man waited outside by their car, a friend of the victim alleged.
But at least four men from Qalandia refugee camp started recording them on their mobile phones inside the shop before beating the man outside.
“The girls heard the screams,” Miriam, a friend of Sammy, said, “and when they came out of the store to see what was going on, the group of men assaulted them as well.”
Here’s the car of the #LGBT couple attacked by Palestinians in Ramallah for being gay.https://t.co/IOCjVPiszn https://t.co/KC0GH6kZfh
— Mark Halawa – مارك حلاوه (@HalawaMark) December 2, 2019
“They stole 52,000 shekels from Sammy, took her and her friends’ phones, and then told them to run away.”
Fleeing on foot, they escaped back to the checkpoint at the village’s entrance. Medics rushed to treat their injuries as they travelled back to Israel.
Horrifying footage captured four men violently thrashing a gay man, shoving him against the hood of a car, mockingly slapping his buttocks and elbowing his head.
This is the girlfriend from the #LGBT couple attacked in Ramallah by a group of Palestinians.
It all started when the couple went to Ramallah for a rhinoplasty together.
The person in red sweater is one of the Palestinians, later took her/ him away in a car.@BuzzFeedLGBT pic.twitter.com/fGXj5XBOZC
— Mark Halawa – مارك حلاوه (@HalawaMark) December 2, 2019
They continue to pummel him as they lead him down a street and briefly pin him down on another vehicle.
Another clip shows Sammy being forced into reportedly one of the Palestinian man’s cars, kicking her forcefully in the back as she and another man steps inside.
While the trio’s car was left with a deluge of dents, shards of glass scattered inside from broken windows.
The rear bumper hanging can be seen hanging from the scar, paint scraped off, and the boot stocked with clothing crammed in plastic carrier bags, some of which have been torn.
It comes at a time where queer community are on edge after authorities threatened to “crack-down” on LGBT+ functions along the West Bank, sowing fear among locals travelling in and out of the landlocked territory.
LGBT+ rights in Palestine.
Sammy, originally from Hebron, was disowned by her family after coming out as trans. Today, an LGBT+ centre in Tel Aviv is her lifeline.
The centre’s manager, Avihu Mizan, said Sammy has since seen a doctor a day after the attack and is in stable condition, ynet news reported.
Earlier this year, Palestinian Authority police issued an official statement encouraging members of the public to report on LGBT+ activities.
With male homosexual acts illegal in the Gaza Strip, the community is constrained by a brutally anti-LGBT+ regime.
Having little to no protections, some queers in Palestine have reported of corrupted officers keeping tabs on LGBT+ citizens, being blackmailed into working as spies or information for law enforcement.