Belgian TV Journalist Reveals Unprovoked Homophobic Attack in Brussels

The journalist, who had not previously wished to speak about this incident, has decided to recount this attack during a Belgian television program.

Riadh Bahri was walking his dog when a man came up to him to ask for directions to the North Station. After explaining the route to him, the man started hitting the journalist for no reason.

"I was taking my dog out in the morning. I do this every day in Brussels. A man approached me to ask for directions to the North Station and I kindly explained the route to him. At the end of the discussion, he hit me several times, insulted me and broke my collar. Then he fled. That’s roughly what happened," Bahri explains.

The journalist believes he was the victim of a homophobic attack, but cannot confirm it with certainty. "I hear so many insults that after a while, I don’t know if they’re doing it because of my look or just because it’s become the default insult," he confides.

Riad Bahri filed a complaint with the police and then went to work as usual. He says he did not want to "stay at home and bite his nails." "The only problem now is walking my dog. My friend asked me to walk the dog. I thought I would do it thinking ’I’m not going to worry for nothing.’ But when I left my street, I met someone. And then I went back home to hide in the hallway."