The Tower Archives

Year: 2006-2011 Place: Spain Sources: Ciutat Morta documentary (shown below) El Plural - Polémica tras la emisión de ‘Ciutat Morta’, el documental que denuncia el suicidio de Patricia Heras (18th of January, 2015) Eldiario.es - Mantener con vida a la poeta muerta (23rd of June, 2014) Publico - Primer aniversario del suicidio de Patricia Heras (26th of April, 2012) Short Summary: On the 4th of February, 2006, Patricia Heras (32 at the time) went out with a friend and both were coming back home. They were cycling but had an accident and ended up with some cuts and bruises. An ambulance was called, which took them to Hospital del Mar. While her friend was being taken care of, Patricia was waiting for him. There were a lot of people in the emergency room because a few hours before, a police officer from the Guardia Urbana had been gravely injured by a falling pot, during a raid to an okupa party, which ended up with 9 people being detained, some of which injured in some weir...

Year: 2015 Place: England, UK Sources: Manchester Evening News - Bury hate attack: Thug called schoolgirl a 'goth' before punching her in the face and dragging her to the ground (29th of May, 2015) Short Summary: A girl (13 years old at the time) was walking with friend when she was punched in the face and dragged to the ground by her hair by another girl, who called her a "Goth". She suffered a burst lip and bruises and recovered at home. Other two boys were also considered persons of interest at the time.

Year: 2011 Place: Australia Sources: Gothy Two Shoes - I Live in a World of Shit (14th of July, 2011) Short Summary: Natalie, owner of the blog Gothy Two Shoes, was egged by two men driving a car. She was taking a 10-minute walk when two men, who drove by, decided to throw eggs at her. They missed the first time, but ended up coming back and managed to hit her. She was left bleeding, confused and scared. OBS: The pictures won't be shared here, but one can still see them in Natalie's blog post. Just right-click the picture and chose the option that allows it to be opened in a different window.

Year: 2011 Place: South Africa Sources: IOL, via Wayback Machine - Dad jailed for tongue-ring killing (5th of May, 2011) Short Resume: Sphiwe Morgan Dlangisa (40 at the time) murdered his daughter, Nonkululeko Dlangisa (16), with a live electrical wire because she got her tongue pierced. He assaulted Nonkululeko, tied her to an electricity pole, poured water over her and then used an exposed wire to electrocute her on the legs, hands and shoulders, until unconsciousness. She was later taken to a clinic for treatment but was pronounced DOA. The post-mortem exams established the cause of death as "blunt force soft tissue injuries and possible electrocution" . The father said during trial that he only wanted to "discipline her". Sphiwe Morgan Dlangisa was sentenced to 15 years in prison.

Year: 2008 Place: Russia Sources: Kerrang - A Look Back At When Russia Tried To Ban Emo (27th of July, 2018) The Week - Why Russia wants to ban emo (Updated on the 9th of January, 2015) The Guardian - Russia wages war on emo kids (21st of July, 2008) NME - Emo to be made illegal in Russia? (23rd of July, 2008) Short Summary: In June, 2008, the State Duma (the lower house of the Federal Assembly of Russia) tried to ban Emo culture, arguing that this was a "threat to national stability" and a negative ideology, which pushed teenagers towards depression, isolation and even suicide (even citing suicides of Emo fans in the UK as proof). The State Duma held a hearing regarding a bill, named the Government Strategy in the Sphere of Spiritual and Ethical Education. The legislation itself included heavily regulating Emo websites and banning people wearing Emo-style clothes and hairstyles from entering government buildings, as well as schools. In the previous year, the No...

Year: 2001 Place: Malaysia Sources: ABC News - Malaysia to Drug Heavy Metal 'Cultists' (13th of August, 2001) BBC - Herbal cure for Malaysian metal fans (13th of August, 2001) Short Summary: Around 150 Heavy Metal fans from a few different schools were to be treated with an herbal medicine, in a cure program used by drug addicts. This was done because the group was accusing of belonging to a Satanic cult and partaking in activities such as animal sacrifice, drinking blood, smoking weed and disrespecting religious texts. The drug was said to improve students performance, so they could concentrate on studying. Foreign bands would also have to submit tapes of their performances for approval before being allowed to play in the country. The Prime Minister at the time, Mahathir Mohamad, accused both Heavy Metal and Rap of "corrupting the morals of Malaysia's population." . Some schools were also strip-searching students, looking for "tattoos, crucifixes w...

Year: 2017 Place: France Sources: Stuff - Kiwi goth turned away at Louvre Museum because of the way she looks (26th of January, 2017) Short Summary: The Youtuber It's Black Friday went with her then-husband to a trip to France, which included stops on the Louvre museum as well as the Père Lachaise cemetery. Both were denied entry to the Louvre because their clothes and style caused too much attention. Later on, the museum claimed that the couple was "too famous and should have arranged a private visit", as Black Friday explains in the video she later recorded about the situation (shown below). On the next day, the couple ended up also being kicked out of the Père Lachaise cemetery and even had the police called on them. The cemetery's security guards demanded to see the couple's footage, and the couple were also told that their look was disrespectful to the place.

Year: 2002 Place: Missouri, USA Sources: Education Week - Spending Plan for 2002 Laden With 'Earmarks' (30th of January, 2002) Blabbermouth - Missouri Town Returns Federal Funds Set Aside To Fight Obsession With 'Morbid Music' (22nd of May, 2004) Kansas City Star, via Wayback Machine - Blue Springs return much of the Goth Grant (22nd of May, 2004) Short Summary: Blue Springs, MO, requested and received a grant of $273,000 ( 232,050€ at the time of writting this entry ) from the Department of Education to fight Goth culture. Representative Sam Graves said the following at the time: "It is my hope that this funding will give the officers in the Youth Outreach Unit the tools they need to identify Goth culture leaders that are preying on our kids" . Two of the provisions of the grant were: holding community forums on Goth culture (which were never held due to lack of interest) and treatment for Goth behaviour (which no youth was subjected to). Almost h...

Year: 2013 Place: Portugal Sources: Bitaites, via Wayback Machine - Tens tatuagens? Não vás ao Hospital de Cascais (24th of August, 2013) Bitaites, via Wayback Machine - A Reunião com a administração do Hospital de Cascais (27th of August, 2013) Tugaleaks - Hospital de Cascais discrimina pessoas com tatuagens (27th of August, 2013) CNN Portugal - Hospital pediu exame de VIH sem informar doente (28th of August, 2013) Notícias ao Minuto - Jovem com tatuagens submetida a teste de VIH sem saber (28th of August, 2013) Short Summary: This is an account which was first shared on the Bitaites blog. The writter knows Lipa and was present at the Hospital for part of the happening. Lipa (23 at the time) went with her boyfriend to the hospital due to a UTI, which caused a lot of pain and a high fever. Lipa refers that the she felt the doctor had a cold attitute and only "looked her up and down and just asked for tests" . She had blood taken, and an HIV test was done, with...

Year: 2009 Place: England, UK Sources: The Mirror - Battered on wedding day for being a goth: Yobs attack bride in black (4th of November, 2009) The Daily Mail - Young bride spends her wedding night in hospital after being attacked by thugs outside Halloween-themed reception (4th of November, 2009) Short Summary: Lucy Emmingham (21 at the time), her husband Edward (26 at the time) and a few guest were waiting for a taxi when three men appeared. These men started hurling abuse at Lucy, due to her choice of wedding dress and the way she looked. Lucy mentions how she has "(...) always been a bit alternative when it comes to fashion. I always said when I got married it would be in black because I wanted a Gothic style wedding" . She also recalls being "(...) pushed down the steps and knocked unconscious. I was out for three minutes. While I was out cold there was a bit of scuffling and the men left but one of my friends was also injured and Edward was shaken. I could...

Year: 2008 Place: Northern Ireland, UK Sources: Alterophobia, citing The Irish News, The Belfast Telegraph and Belfast Newsletter - Goth attacked in Belfast - 18-year-old ‘critical’ after 20ft leap to escape gang (13th of February, 2008) Alterophobia, citing the Lisburn Ulster Star - Teenager still critical after bridge fall (15th of February, 2008) Alterophobia, citing Dromore Today - Gary Forbes' condition stable (24th of February, 2008) Short Summary: Gary Forbes (18 at the time) had been out with three other friends and was on his way to catch a train when he was confronted by a another group. An attack ensued and, to try and escape, he jumped from a 20-foot high (little over 6m) bridge. He suffered head injuries and was in critical condition in the hospital, even requiring emergency surgery. An SLDP councill at the time was quoted as saying "I believe the young person was a goth and another group of young people chased him and to try and escape he jumped off...

Year: 2011 Place: Indonesia Sources: BBC - Indonesia's Aceh punks shaved for "re-education" (14th of December, 2011) Maximum RockNRoll - 64 Indonesian Punks Detained and “Re-educated” (14th of September, 2011) Short Summary: Sixty-four punks in Aceh, Indonesia, have been detained by the police for "(...) being "punk" and disturbing the peace (...)" . Their mohawks were shaven, the women's hair was cut and their clothes were burned. They were made to pray and take communal baths. A police spokesperson says that this was done for their own good, also saying "(...) We are re-educating them so they don't shame their parents." . This was the second time the punks were a target of "intervention".

Hello, My name is Oriana and I am the archivist of this "Tower". This might sound like a intriguing name, but it simply comes from my previous blog, Bats on the East Tower, which I kept for 10 years. That blog will unfortunately be out of commission in June 2026 due to host changes. However, this blog is something else: a "Tower" of archives. It is a more matured approach to a topic of interest and something that I have been considering to come back to for quite a while. If you are a previous reader, you might remember that, at some point, I started to post a lot about instances of alterophobia. If you are a new reader, maybe the term alterophobia is new to you. For that, I suggest Minton's papper Alterophobic Bullying and Pro-Conformist Aggression in a Survey of Upper Secondary School Students in Ireland . But for the sake of brevity, Alterophobia refers to the prejudice directed towards members of alternative subcultures, such as goths and emos. This type ...