File photo.
Police responding quickly to a call for help have arrested three youths in a central Athens park for allegedly verbally assaulting and threatening three people because of their sexual orientation, authorities said Tuesday.
A police statement said the three suspects, aged 16, 18 and 19, were taken into custody late Monday in the Zappeion Gardens. They face charges for alleged threats and verbal abuse with aggravating circumstances due to the victims’ sexual orientation.
The statement said the three suspects were found and identified shortly after the attack in the park, in which they allegedly “employed language and gestures that offended the sexual orientation” of the three alleged victims.
It said the victims phoned the special 11414 police helpline that’s operational on a 24-hour, 7-day basis and handles cases of alleged racist, sexist, homophobic or other abuse or violence.
