Two men were allegedly attacked on the night of Wednesday to Thursday in Sherbrooke in an ambush orchestrated by individuals using a fake profile on the dating platform Grindr, a dating app aimed at an LGBTQ2+ clientele.
“This is the first time that we have been informed of this type of event,” explains the public relations officer at the Sherbrooke Police Service (SPS), Isabelle Gendron.
At around 1:30 a.m., the SPS was called to intervene with a man who had just been beaten by three individuals around Larocque Street. Approximately 45 minutes later, the SPS received a similar call near the intersection of Aberdeen and Gillespie Streets, approximately one kilometre from the first incident.
Both alleged victims explained to the SPS that they had contacted a man on the dating platform. Grindr.
” THE modus operandi The suspect’s plan is to meet the victim and once there, the victim is surrounded and beaten by the three individuals,” the SPS explains in a press release.
One of the victims was reportedly pepper-sprayed and the other was struck with a blunt object. Both victims were taken to hospital as a precaution and for treatment of minor injuries.
A criminal investigation is ongoing, but little information is currently available about the three suspects who allegedly fled on foot.
“We would like to remind people who are considering a meeting [peu importe la plateforme de rencontre utilisée] plan the meeting in a public place, notify an acquaintance of this meeting [lieu, heure]have your phone with you in case of emergency,” explains the SPS.
These two events took place in the middle of Pride week, which is in full swing in Quebec.
Homophobic ambushes regularly make headlines on the other side of the Atlantic. An investigation conducted by the French media Mediapart, recorded no fewer than 300 ambushes between 2017 and 2021, or around one per week.
Hate crimes targeting sexual orientation up 69%
According to Statistics Canada, the number of hate crimes targeting sexual orientation reported to police increased by 69% in 2023 compared to the previous year.
However, no detailed data regarding hate crimes targeting gender identity and expression are presented.