Italian government's anti-LGBT rhetoric blamed for brutal beating of trans woman in Milan

euronews.com:

A video of a trans woman in Milan being pepper sprayed, kicked and beaten by three police officers has caused a stir in Italy, with many drawing a link between the incident and growing transphobic rhetoric in the country.The footage shows officers repeatedly hitting the woman, a Brazilian national, as she sits on the ground without showing any kind of resistance.

She raises up her arms and takes off her glasses. Then receives one last blow to the head before an officer finally handcuffs her.The facts surrounding the incident, which happened on Wednesday, are still vague.

Italian media report it started when concerned parents called the police, saying the woman was exhibiting odd and potentially threatening behaviour in front of a school.

However, authorities claim she was not harassing the children. Euronews cannot verify at this stage what happened. The clip - shared widely on social media - has sparked widespread condemnation in Italy, with some setting the beating of the trans woman against the anti-LGBT stance of Giorgia Meloni’s right-wing government.Some claim Meloni - who ran for election in 2022 with the slogan “I’m a woman, I’m a mother, I’m Christian” - has helped create a hostile space for Italy's LGBT+ community.