"Belgian nationalist activist and former member of parliament
Dries Van Langenhove has just been sentenced to
a year in prison, a
16,000 euro fine, and
ten years of "deprived civil rights" which will mean he is barred from politics," Keith Woods reported on Twitter.
"His crime? He was in a private groupchat where offensive memes were posted," he added. "This is an absolute disgrace. Western regimes are reaching new levels of tyranny to suppress nationalism."....
...
(From the AP) The chats on the Shield and Friends site included the most macabre jokes and memes on anything from famine in Africa to Holocaust concentration camps.
Van Langenhove, 30, said he did not commit any crimes.
"A years-long investigation, on which the Justice Department wasted millions of euros of taxpayers' money, shows that the ... activists cannot be charged with anything other than some memes. Humor.
Memes that I didn't even post myself," he said in a reaction...
...
his lawyer said he would appeal the ruling, which automatically suspends his imprisonment. He was also fined 16,000 euros ($17,470)...
https://www.informationliberation.com/?id=64334
