In May 2024, during a pro-Palestine protest on a university campus in Brussels, the former president of the Union des Étudiants Juifs de Belgique (UEJB) was assaulted by a fellow student while passing near the demonstration.
Two years later, a court will examine whether the attack was driven by antisemitic intent. The former president alleges that his assailant recognised him as the head of a Jewish student organisation and targeted him on that basis. He was struck in the face and neck, resulting in a ten-day period of incapacity for work. The victim also reports that antisemitic insults were made during the assault, an allegation the accused denies.
The court will need to determine whether the attack was motivated by antisemitism, whether such remarks were indeed made, and whether the victim was targeted because of his role representing Jewish students at the university.
