A group of men armed with guns, iron bars, and other blunt objects assaulted and injured some thirty-five attendees of a function organized by the Gays And Lesbians of Zimbabwe, a community volunteering group. According to GALZ’s account of the events, between 12 and 15 men stormed their way into the gathering in an orchestrated display of anti-LGBT violence, “demanding cash and gadgets from the members present in the hall whilst attacking them.”
GALZ is likening the attack to a “militia acting on someone’s superior orders to orchestrate violence,” and many signs point to Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe, who is no friend of the gays. In a similar show of violence, the youth division of the Mugabe-aligned Zanu-PF party stormed GALZ’s offices in 2013.
“President Mugabe’s rhetoric has created a climate and culture of impunity and lawlessness,” GALZ intoned. “As evidenced by the actions of these thuggish men to hunt down LGBTI people in our communities, vicinities, and homes to inflict harm.”
