Two trans women were the victims of transphobic violence in Brussels on Saturday night. The pair were first verbally abused and robbed near the Zuidstraat and later again attacked in the Anneessens neighbourhood. There is as yet no trace of the suspects.
One of the victims brought the news on Instagram and Brussels police have confirmed the attack.
One of the victims, a trans woman from France, immediately filed a complaint with the police. An official report was drawn up detailing allegations of violent robbery and incitement to discrimination, violence and hatred, says police spokesperson Robin De Becker.
“Two people are reported to have been attacked in the early hours of Sunday morning following an altercation. The suspects made off with a mobile phone and a handbag and then fled the scene,” said De Becker.
Transphobic remarks
According to the French victim, Hailie, the incident took place near the Manneken Frites chippie on the Zuidstraat in the Brussels downtown. This is close to Brussels’ LGBTQIA+ district. “Some men were making transphobic remarks and one of them hit my friend. We were completely in shock,” Hailie told Brussels news outlet BRUZZ. The second victim is believed to be from Brussels.
The pair were left feeling devastated but decided to go to a nightclub anyway to take their minds off things. “In the end, we didn’t go into that club,” Hailie explains. “My friend wasn’t feeling well, so we wanted to go back to her flat.”
Hate crime investigation under way
But on their way back, things went wrong. “A short while later, the two victims were again attacked by two people who got out of a vehicle and struck them several times,” says police spokesperson Robin De Becker.
According to Hailie, this happened near Bodegemstraat in the Anneessens neighbourhood. She was struck on the head, she says. Her Brussels-based friend had her hair pulled and sustained open wounds to her face and neck as she ran away.
“The two victims managed to escape and alerted the police,” says De Becker. Following the attack, the police launched an investigation into incitement to hatred. “No suspects have been arrested as yet, but the investigation into the perpetrators is in full swing.”