Romain was beaten after a kiss in the street in Brussels: “Before that, my homosexuality had never been a problem”

Hateful remarks, attacks, traps: worrying increase in homophobic hate crimes

The situation deteriorates very quickly

Romain and his friend then head to the gas station at Place Flagey to wait for the Uber driver who will take them home. The two young people followed them, with other accomplices. They catch up with them and demand an apology for the verbal exchange. “Obviously, we did not formulate them.” There was no reason to do it.

From there, the situation deteriorated very quickly. Romain is hit in the face. The two young homosexuals are thrown to the ground and beaten. The gang persists with numerous punches and kicks, until they lose consciousness.

“There is something visceral that is expressed in homophobic violence”

In their misfortune, the victims were lucky. Surveillance cameras recorded the scene. The police are often present on Saturday evenings at Place Flagey. Two of the attackers were immediately arrested. “We don’t know how this story would have ended if it had happened on a less busy street. The consequences could have been much more serious.”analyzes Romain retrospectively.

“A source of distress, stress and anxiety for the victim”

Two of the perpetrators, prosecuted for intentional assault and battery with the aggravating circumstance of discriminatory motive, had to explain themselves before the Brussels criminal court (Dutch-speaking role). On October 3, they were sentenced to eighteen months’ imprisonment and a fine of 800 euros. The prison sentence is accompanied by a probationary suspension of five years for the first; a simple reprieve of five years for half the sentence for the other.

A crime with homophobic and racist overtones judged in Liège

The court found the facts established and recognized the homophobic nature of the attack. Unia (the independent interfederal public institution which fights against discrimination), which had become a civil party alongside the two victims, obtained a symbolic euro in damages.

The judgment expressly recognizes the particular impact of this type of crime, underlines Unia. “This type of assault causes distress, stress and anxiety for the victim, who is attacked out of hatred for who they are as a person.”

“Unfortunately, we have to be careful in certain places”

Before this attack, Romain had never had problems because of his homosexuality. Neither in his family, nor during his schooling, nor in his life as a young adult. “I have the chance to evolve in a privileged environment where there was no concern about that. It remains a shock. I thought I would live in a society and in a city where homophobia did not concern me .”

Although this attack was very violent, fortunately it remained, for him, an isolated act. The young teacher contextualizes his situation. “As I’m single, it’s not every day that I get to be close to a boy in a public space. This incident made me think about the prospect of being in a relationship for two men in Brussels and how to approach proximity. I would perhaps refrain from explicit gestures to avoid finding myself in the same situation. I think, unfortunately, we have to be careful in certain places and at certain times.”

He adds: “Subconsciously, even before that evening, as a homosexual, we know that kissing in the subway with your boyfriend is exposing yourself. I rarely see homosexual couples being demonstrative in transport or public spaces. So I think I’ll be even more careful.”

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