According to the two men, they were struck by police in response to a comment one of them made. When one of the men tried to film the incident using his phone, it was taken from him and smashed on the ground. The two men were then imprisoned for 10 hours. Police also allegedly made homophobic remarks. The Brussels prosecutor’s office is investigating the charges.

“Any form of homophobic violence is unacceptable,” said Brussels mayor Freddy Thielemans in a statement. “Brussels wishes to be an open and tolerant city, where everyone is free to follow their nature. … I feel confident that the justice system will be able to find out what happened, so that we can take the necessary steps.”

This is not the first time officers from the Brussels City-Elsene police zone have been accused of homophobic violence, according to Dirk Maes of Rainbow Cops, an association representing LGBT officers within the federal police.

In January this year, the Brussels-Capital Region organised the third series of courses for police officers on how to deal with complaints of homophobic violence. The courses have been well-attended but remain voluntary.

“In that way, we are not getting through to the officers who perhaps need the training the most,” Rainbow House said in a statement. The latest incident, the group said, “demonstrates once more that there is a problem of latent homophobia … and it is not the problem of only particular minority cultures.”