Schaerbeek residents protest against homophobia

A rally against homophobia at North Station in Brussels attracted some 200 protesters on Saturday.

The rally was organised in protest at an alleged incident of homophobia in Schaerbeek last week. In a long message posted to his Facebook account, a man described how he and his partner were attacked by their neighbours based on their sexual orientation. The couple has filed a complaint with the police.

Graham Peel, organiser of the protest, told the gathered crowd that three anti-gay attacks had taken place since Belgium’s Pride parade in May. “That’s why we’re here today to repeat that message – there is no place for discrimination and homophobia in Brussels,” he said. “We need to respect people with whom we don’t agree.”

The march was also attended by a couple of local politicians, including David Weytsman, a lawmaker for the liberal MR party, and Adelheid Byttebier, equal opportunities alderwoman in Schaerbeek for the Green Party.

“As a commune, we do a lot of things to raise awareness of this issue. Discrimination has no place here,” Byttebier told the crowd of protesters. She also urged dialogue between Schaerbeek’s different communities.

Photo: David Weytsman / Twitter