SANTIAGO, Chile – A young gay man has suffered a neo-Nazi attack in the Chilean capital, Santiago. During the brutal attack Daniel Zamudio, 24, was burned with cigarettes, his body marked with a swastika and he had part of one ear torn off. He was found unconscious in the San Borja Park in Santiago and taken to the central hospital where he remains in a coma.
Chilean gay advocacy group Movilh is appealing for witnesses. Rolando Jimenez, president of Movilh, told the Santiago Times, “We will file appropriate legal action on Thursday or Friday of this week and we’re asking for an urgent meeting with the interior minister. The Chilean state cannot afford to have a passive attitude about violence toward homosexuals.”
The young man’s parents, Jacqueline and Ivan Zamudio appealing for justice said, “We are overwhelmed with huge sadness and helplessness. We cannot understand that our son was attacked because of his homosexuality. We only ask for justice and help in getting it.”
Rodrigo Hinzpeter, the Chilean interior minister, said in a statement about the attack,
“There is nothing more detestable than to build a fraternal society that disrespects and disregards diversity. I think the violence displayed in attacking Daniel Zamudio for his sexual orientation is behavior that, as a society, we need to eradicate once and for all.”
