Colin
by JACKSON WALKER | The National Desk
Tue, March 12th 2024 at 2:58 PM
BRUSSELS (TND) — Belgian politician Dries Van Langenhove was sentenced Tuesday to a year of jail time and a hefty fine for inciting violence and denying the Holocaust.
Van Langenhove, 30, and five others were tried for charges including hatred, racism, Holocaust denial and violating gun laws. A judge in the case said the politician “reveled in Nazi ideas that cause much suffering” and “wants to undermine society,” Politico wrote
Aside from the year in prison, Van Langenhove’s sentence involves a 10-year suspension from running for public office, a 10-month suspended prison term and several fines. Five other members of S&V also received fines. Van Langenhove’s lawyer reportedly said he will appeal the ruling.
The politician rose to popularity by organizing online chat groups in the 2010s through a youth movement called Schild & Vrienden (S&V). These groups often circulated offensive and racist memes.
In 2019, Van Langenhove joined Belgium’s parliament as a member of the right-wing political group Vlaams Belang. The group reportedly pushes anti-immigrant sentiments and advocates for Belgium’s Flanders region to become an independent state, according to Politico.
The politician acknowledged the sentence via X, the platform known as Twitter, jeering the government over the resources spent on his case.
Today I was sentenced to one year of effective prison sentence, 10 months of suspended prison sentence, €16,000 effective fine, €6,000 suspended fine, €10,000 in compensation and 10 years of loss of civil rights, which means I am no longer allowed to participate in politics,” he wrote. “However, a years-long investigation, on which the Justice Department wasted millions of euros of taxpayers’ money, shows that the S&V activists cannot be charged with anything other than some memes.”
He also launched a crowdfunding campaign to pay the fines of all S&V members charged. It has raised over €10,000 as of Tuesday.
Follow Jackson Walker on X at @_jlwalker_ for the latest trending national news. Have a news tip? Send it to jacwalker@sbgtv.com.
