‘It was a hunt’: Outrage over an attack on trans women in Palermo

Images of a group of men chasing and insulting trans women in the Bosques of Palermo went viral on Argentine social media on Tuesday, causing an uproar and wide rejection from different sectors of society. 

The footage, which was filmed early Monday, shows a group of men moving on foot and bikes through the streets, hurling insults and striking the women with sticks, bottles, and orange traffic cones. 

The assault was uploaded to social media platforms by the attackers themselves, who circulated the footage along with taunts to the victims.  

According to testimony reported in local media outlets, the incident began when a few men on bicycles roaming the area began insulting and provoking the women. After the women started talking back, the men apparently came back, this time accompanied by a larger group, and began attacking them. 

Multiple people notified the police of what was happening. By the time the officers arrived, however, the assailants and the victims had already left the scene. According to the La Nación media outlet, the women filed a complaint with the Buenos Aires City government. At least six of them were reportedly injured in the attack. 

María Rachid, president of the Argentine LGBT Federation (in Spanish, FALGBT), described the attack as a “hunt,” adding that they have been warning about a recent rise in hate crimes.

“It was organized because they were carrying sticks, bottles, and other elements to throw at them. This wasn’t just random people on bikes who all of a sudden decided to do this […] Many are identified because they bragged about this on social media,” Rachid said in an interview with Radio Rivadavia.  

Buenos Aires City Mayor Jorge Macri issued a statement late on Tuesday, calling the attack a “very serious” matter that the administration “will not allow to go unpunished.” 

“The security and justice ministries are already working on an investigation to identify the guilty parties,” he tweeted.  

Los ataques ocurridos en Palermo son de suma gravedad y no vamos a permitir que estos delitos queden impunes.

Los ministros de Justicia y de Seguridad ya están avanzando con la investigación para identificar a estos delincuentes.

Les vamos a caer con todo el peso de la ley.

— Jorge Macri (@jorgemacri) November 3, 2026 The incident takes place on the heels of the Pride March, the most important LGBTQIA+ event of the year, set to take place on Saturday, November 7.  

Widespread outrage  Human rights organizations, political leaders, and even Argentine pop stars issued strong condemnations of the attack. 

The Argentine Homosexual Community (CHA, in Spanish) rejected the attack, adding that “hate speech is no longer limited to online insults by government officials.”

“Mr. President: You are the most responsible for the growth of violence in Argentina. Comply with the law, do your job,” they tweeted. 

Repudiamos los hechos de violencia contra nuestra comunidad

Los discursos de odio ya no son sólo insultos y agresiones de funcionarios expresiones en redes

Sr Presidente: usted es el mayor responsable del avance de la violencia en Arg. Cumpla la ley, cumpla su rol. pic.twitter.com/x7anxgrq7c

— CHA Argentina (@CHAArgentina) November 3, 2026 The Buenos Aires chapter of HIJOS, a human rights group made up of children of people disappeared by the dictatorship, expressed their “energetic rejection of the hate-based attack against the LGBTIQ+ community. 

“Just days away from a new Pride march, we raise the alarm over this incident and the hate speech used by elected public officials. A Hating State has consequences,” they posted on X.

Repudiamos enérgicamente el ataque de odio en Palermo hacia la comunidad LGBTIQ+

A días de una nueva marcha del orgullo, alertamos sobre este hechoy los discursos y prácticas de odio que emanan de quienes ejercen cargos públicos. El Estado de odio tiene consecuencias. https://t.co/9B72QAVIHe

— H.I.J.O.S. Capital (@hijos_capital) November 3, 2026 Left-wing deputy Myriam Bregman tweeted her condemnation of the attack. She also accused President Milei and Buenos Aires City Mayor and Deputy Mayor Jorge Marci and Clara Muzzio of “hate speech,” adding that “violence is the consequence.”

“Because of this, on Saturday we march. No more hate-based attacks!” she wrote, referencing the Pride March on Saturday

El ataque a personas travestis y trans en los Bosques de Palermo por parte de un grupo violento, a pocos días de la Marcha del Orgullo, merece todo nuestro repudio. Los discursos de odio de Milei, Macri y Muzzio tienen consecuencias: alientan esa violencia. Por eso, el sábado…

— Myriam Bregman (@myriambregman) November 3, 2026 Pop star Lali Espósito also condemned the attack, accusing the media of being more interested in the size of her wedding cake than “with a group of 50 guys who go hunting for trans people who are working on the street.” 

Another music star, Tini Stoessel, posted a story on Instagram, accusing the group of men of “hunting trans women.”

“Until when? How many more times will we have to condemn the same thing? How much longer will we have to continue explaining that no one deserves to be chased or live in fear?” she wrote.

Trans activist and university professor Lu Viera, one of the first to bring widespread attention to the attack and the footage, said that the images show how the trans community “lives constantly with the threat of violence.” 

“Do you know how exhausting that is? To live with that every single day,” she lamented, calling on everybody to join the Pride March on Saturday. 

“In the face of hate, we answer with pride, memory, and organization. Because our lives matter, and we will not take a step back.” 

Cover image: Screenshot of video footage taken of the attack in Palermo. Credit: C5N