Originally printed 01/17/2008 (Issue 1602 - Between The Lines News)

Online homophobes prosecuted in the Netherlands

A Dutch man who was subjected to a barrage of homophobic abuse in an online chat room took a printout of the attack to police and got the offenders prosecuted, Radio Netherlands Worldwide reported Dec. 31.

Franklin Hill, a 32-year-old flight attendant, was bashed with comments such as "Dirty faggot," "Death to fags" and "The Third Reich should be resurrected."

A court determined that such language is illegal and sentenced one of the bashers to 15 hours of community service and fined another one 750 euros ($1,100).

"The fact that they now know they can't just say what they want in a chat room, and that they didn't get away with it, gives me satisfaction," Hill told the radio station.

"You just have to do something about it when people do something like this," he said. "There are enough laws and legislation to take on discrimination and threats."

I think that is great after all, a racist, homophobic or attack on gender is still an attack whether it is online or face to face. I hope word of this prosecution spreads.

Nikki