UPDATE: After having a native Nigerian review the footage and listen to the dialogue, LGBT-rights blogger Paul Canning has confirmed the victim in the video is being tortured for an alleged act of thievery not for any perceived homosexuality, as some blogs had initially posted.
Of course, this in no way lessons the horror of the situation.
A disturbing video began circulating on the Web this week that depicts a mob viciously attacking a man and setting him on fire. Several sites indicated he was attacked because he was gay although Paul Canning, who blogs about LGBT rights in Africa, claims his sources tell him it was because the man was a thief.
While there’s no information on who took the video or where the incident is taking place, we traced the clip back to a site called WorldStarUnCut.com, which labeled it “They Did This To Him Because He Was Gay.”
After much deliberation we decided to post the clip because it is part of an ongoing news story. Obviously whether this poor man was gay or not, or a thief or not, no one deserves such a cruel and torturous death.
The full clip is on the next page. Be warned that it depicts scenes of graphic violence and torture.
Bob
Somewhere in Africa obviously….the people are still savages!
Little Kiwi
@Bob: nice racism, Bob.
let me guess, you’re an American? the country that still has the death penalty, anti-gay discrimination written into laws in most States, and a health-care system that is run for profit instead of being run to help heal the sick, right?
yeah. exactly. makes you guys seem like savages to the rest of the world, just so ya know.
Bob
@Little Kiwi:
If someone were beaten to death and set on fire in the USA, I would call the attackers savages too! This is not a racial issue. How do you even know what race I am? This was a statement about uncivilized people. If this happened in Sweden for example, and I call the people savages, would that be racism against whites? No! But, I totally agree with some of your statements about our death penalty and health care system. You must remember that the USA is run by the 1% filthy rich who could care less about the rest of us. That is another topic entirely. However, this type of brutality would not have gone on in the USA in a crowded area, with no body helping this poor man. We are more civilized than that!
bodilove
@ Bob: That was very uncalled for……but I understand the sentiments behind it…
From what I can pick up from what the people are saying, The guy was a thief, and it had nothing to do with him being gay…..that was not even mentioned!
You have to understand, this is a third world country, and people don’t take too kindly to having what they work hard for stolen from them…….not that I am justifying what happened, but that is the order of the day……the guy knew what kind of society he lived in but yet made a choice to steal, and had to pay for it!!!
redmont
@Bob: You are aware that, if this is in Africa, they only hate gays because of the west’s involvement in their lives? As “savages”, they didn’t treat their gay brethren with such disdain, it was only learned when missionaries went into their country, told them their ways were wrong and tried to “civilize” them. Now, they kill people in the streets. If you want to blame anybody, blame the missionaries that used religion to infect these people with their hatred. These actions are sick, and if I could I would burn every single individual throwing a punch, but I can’t help but feel like we’re responsible for this too.
sir
Yeah this happened because he was a thief. That was the original story. If it was done because he was gay, that would have been the original story. In fact, he probably would have been tortured far worse.
The “savages” comment was totally uncalled for, especially following the “somewhere in Africa obviously” statement. It definitely has racial undertones.
World Star is known for it’s outrageous videos. I assume the original “thief” story didn’t grab enough attention so they said he was gay. If these actions are common for theives, then he should have known better. But then again it could have all been hearsay.
Still… no homophobia here. Just plain ol’ torture.
Wies
it obviously is somewhere in africa, and the people who’ve done this are savages. Perhaps in stead of theft or being gay it might also be because people thought he was a witch. but lynchings for theft aren’t that uncommon, though i believe suspected witchcraft is the more common reason why people are burned alive over there. This video isn’t that unique in that respect… resently i saw one where a mob was burning multiple people alive. They crawled out of the small fire pit but got kicked back in… and one man was just sitting there… burning… calm or dead… They don’t just burn people alive but also murder for witchcraft and other reasons. Sometimes they attack foreign medical personal because they believe they’re the ones spreading the disease. I blame poor education and culture for this.
Chujek
I don’t want to live on this planet! It’s so fucking sick! Where was fucking god then , busy in Vatican or raping virgins in paradise?! NO ONE deserves so cruel death.
Lefty
I can’t even watch it. Some things are just too much.
paulcanning
He is not gay. This is Nigerians whether in Nigeria or somewhere else in West Africa and at no point do they say he is being burnt for that, it’s because he is a thief.
I did not ‘claim’, I passed on information from my check which involved the leader of a Nigerian gay organisation who is also a Behind The Mask correspondent. It is his language. He would know what is being said.
Publishing this video despite being told that and with no further attempt to check it is completely gratuitous.