TRIGGER WARNING: This article contains descriptions of violence and details of a homophobic attack. 

Danilo Matta was on his way home from a night out with friends when he was the victim of a homophobic attack outside his Dublin flat in the early hours of Saturday morning. The 28 year-old was brutally beaten with a steel bar after saying goodbye to his boyfriend.

Matta explained to Dublin Live that his boyfriend gave him a parting kiss before cycling home himself, however, before he could enter his flat he was approached by a gang. The gang, made up of two young women and their four male accomplices, cornered Matta, asking, “What’s going on here?” -alluding to the kiss the couple had just exchanged.

It was at this point Matta was struck twice in the mouth with a steel bar, before he was able to escape the attack and gain entry to his home. He explained that as soon as his attackers realized that it was his flat, they fled the scene. 

Matta contacted Gardaí after the incident, however, they never arrived at the scene, so he instead opted to file a report in Kilmainham Garda Station the next day. Matta also called an ambulance, who arrived quickly and treated him on the scene. He refused to go back with them to the hospital saying; “I just wanted to go to bed”.

Matta explained that the attackers didn’t seem to want anything other than to hurt him; “They didn’t attempt to take my wallet or phone. The only reason could have been because of the kiss. It was either homophobic or xenophobic based, but they didn’t even hear me speak so how did they know I wasn’t Irish?”

Despite the horrific attack, Matta remains strong and wants to share his story with others in order to raise awareness. He told Dublin Live; “We always show the good part of our lives on social media. But, I felt it was important to address this issue. It is important to know that these kind of things are happening around us. I wasn’t the first person ever to be attacked and unfortunately I won’t be the last one.”