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Belgium Antwerp Court of Appeal (Cour d’appel d’Anvers) 2022 Belgium / Cour d’appel d’Anvers. / Anvers, 9-02-2022 Religion Muslims The case concerns the appeal from a decision in which the primary judge found that it was discriminatory for a not-for-profit organisation providing assistance to mothers in need to ask the mothers and anyone accompanying them to remove their headscarves in the premises of the organisation. View more
Belgium Brussels Criminal Court (Tribunal correctionnel Bruxelles) 2021 Belgium / Tribunal correctionnel Bruxelles / Trib.corr.Bxl. , 29-06-2021 Religion Muslims The case concerns a woman who posted and shared multiple hate messages targeting the Muslim community, including calling for the eradication of Islam. View more
Belgium Constitutional Court (Grondwettelijk Hof) 2020 Belgium / Constitutional Court / 81/2020 Religion Muslims A Brussels institute for higher education (college) prohibits in its internal regulations, among other things, the wearing of religious signs. Female Muslim students who wish to wear a headscarf initiate legal proceedings and the court formulates a preliminary question tot he Constitutional Court. The students claim that the ban on head scarfs is contrary to the Anti-Discrimination Decree of 12 December 2008. View more
Belgium Correctional Court Oudenaarde (Correctionele Rechtbank te Oudenaarde) 2013 Belgium / Correctional Court Oudenaarde / Public Prosecution v. V. Ismael and T. Francis Frans Francois Race/Ethnicity Foreigners The case concerns physical violence based on racist motives. Three men, V. Ismael, T. Francis and M.R. Joao were involved in a fist fight. M.R Joao, who is of foreign origin claimed that the other two had inflicted personal injury on him based on racist motives. The victim, M.R. Joao and the Centre for Equal Opportunities and Opposition to Racism were civil parties to the criminal proceedings. View more
Belgium Court of Appeal Gent (Hof van Beroep te Gent) 2013 Belgium / Court of Appeal Gent / City and Centre for Equal Opportunities and Opposition to Racism v. V.D.V. Marc Frans Gustaaf Race/Ethnicity Foreigners, Migrants The case concerns incitement to hatred and discrimination. In 2005, the local magazine of a political party in Sint-Niklaas published an article in which it accused young persons of foreign origin of desecrating graves. The article stated “(..) is that the perpetrators, all of them young teenagers, were of foreign ethnicity. A culture that has no respect anymore for the dead or the symbols of another religion is a deranged culture.” The case was brought to the Court of First Instance, which… View more
Belgium Court of Cassation of Belgium (Hof van Cassatie van België) 2017 Belgium / Court of Cassation / S.12.0062.N Religion Muslims A muslim receptionist was dismissed by the defendant as she refused to conform to the unwritten rule in force in the company, which imposed a prohibition on carrying outward signs of a political, philosophical or religious belief. The Labour Court of Antwerp had ruled that a security firm did not commit abuse of law by dismissing a receptionist who wanted to combine a modest headscarf with her uniform. View more
Belgium Court of First Instance (Rechtbank van eerste aanleg) 2020 Belgium / Court of First Instance Kortijk / Openbaar Ministerie en Unia vs. C. J.W. L Nationality Muslims A man manages, under various pseudonyms, several platforms on social media on which discriminatory and stigmatising messages are posted against Jewish people, black people and Muslims. Fake news is also posted about a sheep allegedly tortured and killed near an asylum centre. View more
Belgium Court of First Instance (Rechtbank van eerste aanleg) 2019 Belgium / Court of First Instance Liège / Le Procureur du Roi vs. X Race/Ethnicity Muslims On the occasion of a royal visit to a Muslim family, a couple posted messages on Facebook inciting hatred, including a picture of Hitler saying “put them all in the oven!” View more
Belgium Court of First Instance (Rechtbank van eerste aanleg) 2020 Belgium / Court of First Instance Brussels / De Procureur des Konings bij het parket Halle-Vilvoorde vs. D. J. P. R. Religion Muslims A man posted a message in a Facebook group, asking whether the local mosque might move to another location. The defendant replied the following: "If only, there are more and more of them, we have to burn them down." View more
Belgium Court of First Instance (Tribunal de première instance de Dinant) 2013 Belgium / Court of First Instance of Dinant / X. and the public prosecution v. X Race/Ethnicity Black people or of African origin, Migrants, Third country nationals The case concerns physical violence with racist motives. In 2009, the defendants, who had been drinking, physically assaulted a person on the basis of ethnic origin. They were charged with intentional infliction of personal injury motivated by racism. View more
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