Following the case involving Schild & Friends, which is normally heard by the Ghent criminal court on September 12, nine civil society organizations are launching a petition to support “the targets of Schild and Friends”.
“Racist and sexist smear campaigns are part of a political climate of violence and intimidation, and women, people with a migrant background and LGBTI+ people are particularly targeted,” the organizations say.
Schild & Friends founder Dries Van Langenhove and six co-suspects must answer for, among other things, violations of racism legislation and negationism. In June 2019, Van Langenhove was officially suspected. The House’s plenary session had lifted his parliamentary immunity in March 2021, but he has since resigned from the House.
Van Langenhove was not prosecuted by the council chamber for negationism, but he was referred to the criminal court for violations of racism and weapons legislation. The dismissal of prosecution for negationism was appealed by two civil parties, and the indictment chamber ruled that he must answer for negationism after all.
Members of Shield and Friends mocked the Holocaust, posed with weapons and glorified Nazi ideology.
Racist and anti-Semitic messages
The East Flanders public prosecutor’s office had started a criminal investigation following a Pano report on September 5, 2018. It showed that racist and anti-Semitic messages were shared in secret chat groups of Schild & Friends, and Unia and the League for Human Rights, among others, have committed civil party.
Nine civil society organizations are now starting a campaign to show solidarity with the targets of Schild & Friends and the extreme right. This concerns Hand in Hand against racism, Kif Kif, Ella vzw, Rebelle vzw, Another Jewish Voice, Het Groot Verzet, çavaria, Wel Jong and the 8 May coalition.
2,700 signatures
The civil society organizations provided more information about their collaboration on Thursday evening. “Members of Schild and Friends mocked the Holocaust, posed with weapons and glorified Nazi ideology,” the associations say. “They also waged a deliberate and orchestrated hate campaign against Hand in Hand co-chairman Jihad Van Puymbroeck. Their hate actions were and still are mainly aimed at women, people with a migration background and LGBTI+ people. After Van Langenhove’s resignation as a member of parliament, his ‘activism’ remains dangerous, making support for the legal battle against the extreme right crucial.”
According to the civil society organizations, Schild & Friends is “part of a growing movement of violence and intimidation” and they point to the bond with Vlaams Belang. “Schild & Friends and Vlaams Belang are intimately intertwined. One year before the elections, it is therefore of the utmost importance that we together draw a line in the sand against these racist and violent organizations.” The petition from the civil society associations has already been signed by 2,700 people.
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