Two gay men were assaulted in a homophobic attack in Paris last Saturday. The couple were attacked on the evening of October 6 on Rue du Maroc in the 19th arrondissement of the French capital after they kissed on the street. They were kicked in the ribs and the nose by two perpetrators who fled the scene on bikes.

The men were then taken to the hospital where they were treated for their injuries.

Police arrived an hour after the attack and managed to arrest one of the attackers who was still in the area. He was placed in custody later that night and was charged with “willful violence committed on the basis of the sexual orientation of the victims and the carrying of a category D weapon”. The other attacker was found and subsequently arrested on October 7. He was later released over a lack of criminal evidence.

This marks the second homophobic attack in Paris in less than a month.

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A post shared by Arnaud Gagnoud (@arnaudgagnoud)

Three weeks ago, French comedian Arnaud Gagnoud was subjected to verbal and physical abuse after he hugged his boyfriend while leaving a theatre. Gagnoud took to Instagram to share an image of his black eye.

Gagnoud was targeted by a group of young people who flung homophobic abuse at him and his friends. The teenagers demanded that Gagnoud leave the area, and when he refused the abuse escalated. The group of teens called for “reinforcements” and another young man arrived on a scooter. He took off his helmet and hit Gagnoud in the face with it twice. Other theatre-goers eventually managed to get the group of attackers to leave, while sheltering Gagnoud and his partner inside the venue.

Following the attack, Gagnoud’s face was severely bruised and he required seven stitches. The police arrested two of the teenagers involved in the attack.