Belgian Teen Arrested After Homophobic Assault in Turnhout

A 14-year-old suspect has been arrested and brought before a juvenile judge in connection with a violent assault on a peer in Turnhout, Belgium, as prosecutors investigate whether the attack was motivated by homophobia. The victim, a 14-year-old boy named Maro from Kasterlee, was forced to his knees and beaten after school on May 8 because of his bisexuality, according to VRT NWS.

The Attack

Maro was ambushed after school by a group of peers in Turnhout on Friday, May 8. His mother told reporters that “twenty children were waiting for Maro.” The attackers forced him to kneel and apologize for being bisexual before striking him, causing a bruised jaw and a nosebleed. The assault was filmed by bystanders and the footage was widely shared on social media.

According to De Morgen, the Antwerp public prosecutor’s office confirmed that a 14-year-old suspect was identified, arrested, and brought before a juvenile judge. The judge imposed conditions including house arrest, a learning project, a contact ban with the victim and other involved parties, mandatory counseling, and community service.

Investigation Ongoing

The public prosecutor’s office is investigating whether the attack had a homophobic motive, though officials caution that the precise trigger for the violence has not yet been determined. The investigation into the circumstances and possible additional suspects remains active. Prosecutors have urged the public to allow the investigation to proceed with respect for the presumption of innocence.

Community Outrage and Political Reaction

The assault sparked widespread outrage across Belgium. Turnhout Mayor Hannes Anaf (Vooruit) said he was “deeply shocked by the severe violence that a 14-year-old boy in our city had to endure because of his orientation.” He added that “Sunday is IDAHOT, the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia. And apparently such a day is still desperately needed.”

Vooruit party leader Conner Rousseau condemned the attack, describing footage of “allochthonous youth almost torturing a 14-year-old because he is gay.” He linked the violence to “the increasing hatred and violence against homosexuals from both the far right and extreme Muslims.”

Reccino Van Lommel of the Flemish nationalist Vlaams Belang called the incident “an absolute low point” and criticized left-wing safety policies, writing that “parents no longer dare to send their children out on the street alone, while the left just sings kumbaya.”

Solidarity on IDAHOT

On Sunday, May 17 — the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, and Transphobia (IDAHOT) — hundreds gathered at De Warande cultural center in Turnhout for a protest and flag-raising ceremony. Organized by Mr. Gay Belgium Imran Nawaz, Mayor Anaf, Alderman for Equal Opportunities Kelly Verheyen, and LGBTQI+ organization G!F Kempen, the event aimed to send a strong message of solidarity.

“We see the figures worsening year after year,” Nawaz told VRT NWS. “Discrimination and intolerance toward our community continues to rise. Young people are afraid to express their orientation, and that should not be the case.” Nawaz described such incidents as “daily fare” for the LGBTQ+ community and called for concrete action.

Broader Context

While Belgium is widely regarded as one of the world’s most progressive countries for LGBTQ+ rights — having legalized same-sex marriage in 2003 — recent data paints a more troubling picture. According to The Brussels Times, Belgium’s inter-federal equality body Unia registered 311 reports related to sexual orientation discrimination in 2025 alone, while the Institute for the Equality of Women and Men recorded 454 reports involving transphobic hate speech. The institute warned that these figures represent only “a tiny fraction” of actual incidents.

Research from the Jeugdonderzoeksplatform at Vrije Universiteit Brussel shows that homophobic attitudes among Flemish and Brussels youth increased between 2018 and 2023. Çavaria, the Flemish LGBTQ+ umbrella organization, has called for “structural attention” in schools to address the trend.

What’s Next

The city of Turnhout is planning a new festival called ‘Love Out Loud’ in September 2026 and has been training youth workers on sexual harassment prevention. Meanwhile, the investigation continues, with questions remaining about whether additional suspects will be identified and what long-term support will be provided to the victim and his family. The case has reignited political debates in Belgium about hate crimes, youth violence, and the effectiveness of anti-discrimination education.