Two Men Get Jail Terms for Paris Antigay Attack

The men were sentenced Tuesday for the beating of Wilfred de Bruijn in April 2013.

Trudy Ring

Trudy Ring is The Advocate’s senior politics editor and copy chief. She has been a reporter and editor for daily newspapers and LGBTQ+ weeklies/monthlies, trade magazines, and reference books. She is a political junkie who thinks even the wonkiest details are fascinating, and she always loves to see political candidates who are groundbreaking in some way. She enjoys writing about other topics as well, including religion (she’s interested in what people believe and why), literature, theater, and film. Trudy is a proud “old movie weirdo” and loves the Hollywood films of the 1930s and ’40s above all others. Other interests include classic rock music (Bruce Springsteen rules!) and history. Oh, and she was a Jeopardy! contestant back in 1998 and won two games. Not up there with Amy Schneider, but Trudy still takes pride in this achievement.

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Trudy Ring

June 04 2014 3:22 PM EST

November 17 2015 5:28 AM EST

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Two men have received jail sentences for an attack on a gay man in Paris last year.

Wilfred de Bruijn, a Dutchman living in Paris, was walking arm in arm with his boyfriend on the way home from a party in April 2013 when a group of men approached them, saying, "Look, homos," and began beating them, reports Netherlands news site NL Times. De Bruijn suffered fractures in his jawbone and skull, plus a broken tooth. He posted in a picture of himself on Facebook soon after the assault, and the news spread globally. The incident was one of several instances of violence that occurred in France while the nation was debating a marriage equality bill, which eventually became law.

Two attackers, identified as Taieb B. (also known as Redouane) and Abdelmalik M., each received a sentence Tuesday of two and a half years in prison, although portions of their sentences were suspended, reports NL Times. A third man, Kide T., who did not join in the assault but stood by without assisting De Bruijn and his boyfriend, received a six-month suspended sentence.

Another Netherlands news source, Dutch News, reports that De Bruijn expressed satisfaction with the sentences because they demonstrate that France will not tolerate antigay attacks.