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Dublin woman punched four times in the face in homophobic attack after night out

“This is what being punched four times in the face looks like because you’re a queer … this is Ireland 2016.”

VICTORIA CURTIS WAS punched in the face on her way home from a night out in Dublin this weekend after she spoke back to a man who told her and her friends to take off their clothes.

Curtis has shared her story because she said she’s “tired of people saying this kind of stuff doesn’t happen”.

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The vicious attack happened on Dublin’s Camden Street at around 2am on Sunday morning.

Curtis took to Facebook later that day to share a photo of her injured face along with this post:

This is what misogyny looks like. This is what being a faggot looks like.This is what happens women on Saturday nights walking home with their friends.This is what a man did to me after I told him it wasn’t cool for him to tell us to take off our trousers, pull down our knickers and show him our arse’s.

This is what being punched four times in the face looks like because you’re a queer. This is what happens when we call them out.

This is what will keep happening if we keep ignoring and accepting their behaviour.

This is why consent courses are needed in colleges. This is Ireland 2016.

Speaking to Ryan Tubridy on RTÉ Radio 1 this morning, Curtis explained how the man used abusive language and called her and her friends ‘feminist feckers’ and ‘faggots’ after they called him out on his comments.

Curtis told Ryan how the man said, ‘I voted Yes for marriage equality but I didn’t vote for that.

He said he wouldn’t hit my friend because she was a girl but that he didn’t know what ‘that’ was – directing it at me.

The women then began walking away from him when he started directing homophobic comments towards Curtis once again.

It was directed at me because I’m identifiably gay. I have short hair, I wear jeans, I dress like a tomboy … not that that even matters.

She described how her friend started shouting back but she took her by the arm and told her ‘It’s over, let’s go home’.

The man then asked for Curtis to shake his hand before punching her.

He then put his hand out and was like hey ‘man’, let’s resolve this ‘man’, shake my hand ‘man’.

“I was like, I’m not shaking your hand, you’re a f**ker, f off and then he threw four punches on my face.

“I lost my balance and I hit the ground and I curled up and I put my hands around my head.”

‘I’m a very proud queer woman … how dare he make me question that’

Describing the aftermath of the attack, Curtis said, “I woke up yesterday morning and I just had a few hours where I was in and out of tears and then hospital visits and then going down to the gardaí to give a statement at 10.30 at night.

“It has been full on and you know I am a little bit shook from it.

I’ve experienced verbal abuse on the streets before and you can kinda brush it off but I’ve never experiences an attack like that. It ended up so violently.

“How dare he, I’m really proud of who I am, I’m a very proud queer woman … how dare he make me question that.

“To make me question being proud of myself, that’s the real kicker.”

This is constantly happening women, and it’s not just me and it’s not just my friends. Street harassment against females is rife and that’s why we turned around and called him out on it.

https://soundcloud.com/rte-radio-1/the-ryan-tubridy-show-victoria-curtis-spoke-to-ryan-about-being-viciously-attacked

Nothing was broken in the attack and Curtis told Tubridy:

I’m obviously a bit shook but I’m a tough nut and it will take more than a few punches to crack me.

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230 Comments
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    Mute motojack
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    Mar 1st 2022, 2:54 PM

    European union have raised questions about VRT and the state of our insurance in this country. Will you be looking at that also Coveney?

    402
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    Mute John Johnes
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    Mar 1st 2022, 3:10 PM

    @motojack: eu insurances were denied entry in to our market by insurance ireland cartel. They are holding their sky-high profits with both hands , and our gov is helping them.

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    Mute Patrick O Connell
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    Mar 1st 2022, 3:45 PM

    @John Johnes: insurance companies refuse to enter irish markets due to the high payouts in our claim. Irish people put in a lot of compo claims and the payouts are extremely high compared to other countries

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    Mute motojack
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    Mar 1st 2022, 4:10 PM

    @Patrick O Connell: if that was really the only reason that would have been sorted along time ago with a cap on the claim. There is more to the story than that.

    To many brown envelops and mutual interests at play.

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    Mute John Johnes
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    Mar 1st 2022, 4:50 PM

    @Patrick O Connell: wrong , they were denied entry. There was an investigation by the Eu commission on it. Stop spreading misinformation

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    Mute John Johnes
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    Mar 1st 2022, 5:00 PM

    @Patrick O Connell: Irish Times:

    Irish motor insurers ‘restricted competition’, European Commission says
    Commission investigating whether Insurance Ireland has been operating a cartel

    Updated: Fri, Jun 18, 2021, 17:05

    Nice of you to try and misinform the people. Now go back hiding.

    29
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    Mute Michael Glynn
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    Mar 1st 2022, 2:53 PM

    Perhaps taking less than the 68 cents per litre at the pump might help

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    Mute Michael Glynn
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    Mar 1st 2022, 2:56 PM

    @Michael Glynn: in the euro not the litre as I stated

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    Mute artur fil
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    Mar 1st 2022, 2:56 PM

    Get rid of carbon tax with WWIII on our steps climate change is last thing we should worry about. Another option is decrease VAT like polish government did.

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    Mute Craig Clancy
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    Mar 1st 2022, 3:04 PM

    @artur fil: be no climate when that red button is pushed

    52
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    Mute Sean Collins
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    Mar 1st 2022, 3:24 PM

    VAT is charged at 13.5% and MM says under the rules it can’t go below 12%
    Well at least reduce it to 12% and see what happens then if the EU allowed for it to go lower. Of that’s right the Greens won’t be happy.

    99
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    Mute Paul Crowley
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    Mar 1st 2022, 3:39 PM

    @Sean Collins: As far as I know vat on petrol and road diesel is 23%. The lower rate only applies heating and ag tractor diesel

    50
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    Mute Dr. Emmett Lathrop
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    Mar 1st 2022, 3:28 PM

    More than 50% taxes on petrol is totally unacceptable, when the cheapest electric car cost 30k (If you can afford it!)

    87
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    Mute John Barry
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    Mar 1st 2022, 3:48 PM

    @Dr. Emmett Lathrop: Brand new Opel Corsa €19,950. Opel Corsa E starting at €31.450. An absolute joke & they want us to but electric cars hahaha

    93
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    Mute Peter Cuthbert
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    Mar 1st 2022, 3:44 PM

    On 1st May additional taxation is due as per Budget 2022 in support of the Carbon agenda ,this will put additional costs on consumers

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    Mute James Johnson
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    Mar 1st 2022, 3:56 PM

    Definitely cut off Vat at a level also. Governments clearly make a packet.

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    Mute wormtubes
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    Mar 1st 2022, 4:06 PM

    VAT alone is a killer. Why not fix it at a monetary value? It’s a double-edged sword when being applied as a percentage.

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    Mute Gerrard
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    Mar 1st 2022, 4:52 PM

    People are forced out of Dublin as they can’t afford the houses but are no spending close to €1000 a month now to drive up everyday .. I can’t see this lasting better to be getting free everything then literally working for to pay tax on top of tax

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    Mute Jane Alford
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    Mar 1st 2022, 7:54 PM

    The government won’t do anything. They are just rubbing their hands in glee at the extra taxes they are gouging from us. They’ve got to pay for their jollies somehow. This, and previous, governments don’t care about any of us mere mortals.

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    Mute Gerrard
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    Mar 1st 2022, 4:54 PM

    That package they announced a few weeks ago be covered by the increases at the pump as there take rises too

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    Mute Shane Terry
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    Mar 2nd 2022, 2:53 PM

    Other EU countries have capped petrol at €1.30 per litre.
    Not ours though. They’ll wait until it hits €2 a litre then knock 10 cents off and tell us we are lucky and should be thankful. Meanwhile they are still getting they’re 45% in taxes from every litre.

    They have no concept of hardship or cost of living.

    But we accept it and moan about it and leave it up to the truckers to sort it out.

    We should be more proactive like our European citizens and protest that enough is enough.

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