Young man beaten and spat on for kissing his boyfriend in shocking homophobic attack

A 25-year-old was brutally beaten in a homophobic attack in Belgium after he gave his boyfriend a goodbye kiss.

The Brussels Times reported that the victim was attacked in Place Flagey in Brussels on Saturday (21 August) afternoon.

According to the outlet, he had just kissed his boyfriend before he got off a bus when he was attacked by a man in his 40s.

The attacker reportedly punched the gay man in the face and spat on him before fleeing the scene.

The victim was hospitalised and received stitches as a result of the attack, the Brussels Times reported. A complaint about the incident was filed with the police.

A spokesperson for the Brussels Capital-Ixelles police zone told the outlet it had been in contact with Unia – an independent public institution that fights discrimination and promotes equal opportunities in Belgium – because of the “homophobic nature of the events”.

Unia confirmed earlier this week that it was following up on the attack.

Patrick Charlier, co-director of Unia, said reports of discrimination related to sexual orientation made up just 4.3 per cent of those it receives, but that those incidents are often more violent.