French LGBTQ rights leader hospitalised after homophobic attack in Paris

Pierre Picavet, president of the LGBTQ rights association FLAG! and a serving police officer, was hospitalised after being attacked overnight from Saturday to Sunday in central Paris.

FLAG! brings together employees of France's interior and justice ministries who work to combat discrimination against LGBTQ people. According to the Paris prosecutor's office, Picavet was struck with a bottle as he left a bar in the historic Marais district, suffering multiple injuries including internal bleeding and a head wound.

The association STOP Homophobie described the incident as a homophobic attack, condemned it in the strongest terms, and published photographs of Picavet's injuries, saying anti-LGBT+ violence remains a persistent reality.

Prosecutors said Picavet reported that his attacker repeatedly directed a homophobic slur at him. Picavet immediately identified himself as a police officer and showed his ID, but this did not stop the assault.

The suspected attacker was taken into custody. According to prosecutors, he has no prior criminal record and was intoxicated during the attack.

Paris Mayor Emmanuel Grégoire condemned the incident on social media platform X as a "despicable homophobic attack," saying the city would never surrender its streets to hatred and would remain a refuge and a city of freedom for everyone.