Violence and hate speech against LGBTQIA+ people rise in Belgium

Violence and hate speech targeting LGBTQIA+ people increased in Belgium in 2025, according to the latest annual report from ILGA-Europe. The group links the rise to growing social polarisation and a decline in acceptance among young people.

LGBTQIA+ organisations reported more homophobic and transphobic attacks than in previous years. These included ambushes arranged through dating apps, assaults in public spaces, vandalism of community venues and increased harassment at work and online. The report notes that only 14% of victims report incidents to the police.

Several cases in 2025 attracted national attention. Courts handed down prison sentences in cases involving dating app “traps”. In one case, a 31-year-old man received a three-and-a-half-year sentence for an assault in which a homophobic motive was recognised as an aggravating factor. In Leuven, four minors were arrested after allegedly attempting to lure and attack two victims, one of whom was seriously injured.

Community centres were also targeted, including repeated vandalism at a Rainbow House in Verviers. In Brussels, a Georgian man and his transgender friend were assaulted on a bus.

LGBTI+ individuals increasingly targeted by violence and intimidation

While Belgium is often praised for its progressive stance on LGBTI+ rights, new figures show that members of the community continue to face a...

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Research suggests attitudes among young people are worsening. A 2025 study in Flanders found that pupils aged 16 to 18 were significantly less tolerant of gay and lesbian people than in 2018. One in five said violence against a gay person could be acceptable, compared with fewer than one in ten seven years earlier.

Online abuse has also been highlighted. Belgian tennis player Greet Minnen shared homophobic threats she received on Instagram, underlining the scale of hate speech on social media.

Despite the rise in violence, the report says Belgium still has one of the more protective legal frameworks for LGBTQIA+ people in Europe. However, it warns that the country reflects a wider Western European trend, where legal progress exists alongside increasing hostility and violence.

^{Antwerp pride © BELGA PHOTO NICOLAS MAETERLINCK}