It is a quarter past four, Sunday morning, December 22, when two men insult a gay couple on the corner of Vijzelstraat and Herengracht, around the corner from the popular gay nightlife street Reguliersdwarsstraat. One of them then walks to a bench where two other men are sitting and asks them for a cigarette. They address the man about his choice of words moments before. One of them indicates that he is gay himself.
The suspect then pushes the man backwards and hits the victim’s head with a clenched fist. While the victim is being abused, more people gather around him. When the victim then tries to get away, he is chased by the group and eventually kicked out.
‘Serious abuse’
What follows is, in the words of the police, a serious assault: the victim is kicked in the head, neck and shoulder. The group then walks via the Herengracht to Koningsplein.
The police have started an investigation and have issued a description of the suspect in an email press release. Witnesses are called upon to report sight.