On Saturday there was already talk that Engel may have violated the conditions under which he was released after his arrest. His pre-trial detention was suspended after two weeks on Wednesday, under the condition, among other things, that he “abstain from expressions on social media”.
On Friday evening, YouTube channel Café Weltschmerz broadcast a conversation with Engel and lawyer Jeroen Pols. This can still be seen on the website. In this, Engel talks about his arrest and the ongoing lawsuits against him.
Engel is suspected of having posted “incendiary corona-related messages” on social media for a long period — between June 2020 and December 2021. “These messages have led to other people committing criminal offenses or being incited to do so,” the Public Prosecution Service said earlier. It is not yet clear when he will appear in court in this case.
Apart from this, he has to go to court on June 13 for ignoring a police order during a demonstration in The Hague, on October 10, 2020 and incitement via Facebook. According to the Public Prosecution Service, he called in a live stream to arrest agents through a citizen’s arrest.
