Today, three men appeared in court in Alkmaar, suspected of incitement and/or discrimination. In two cases, it concerned statements about Jews or inciting texts against people defending Israel. In the third case, it involved discrimination against black people.
“People defending Israel deserve to be hit”
In the first case, a 28-year-old man from Zaandam is suspected of having posted the following inciting message on Instagram on May 27, 2024: “People defending Israel deserve to be hit. There is nothing more to discuss. Just hit them. If after all the lies that have been debunked, the images we see daily defend Israel, you are a monster. Devilish.”
The public prosecutor believes that this constitutes incitement and demanded a community service order of 120 hours, half of which is conditional. The magistrate agreed with the 120 hours of community service but ruled for a larger conditional part (80 hours) with a probation period of two years.
Complaint from the municipality of Castricum of group defamation via Instagram and Facebook
The second case involved a complaint from the municipality of Castricum against one of its residents for discriminatory statements on Instagram and Facebook. The resident posted on January 18, 2024, a list of names of people who were said to be members of the Freemasonry in the Netherlands.
The post contained the text “Satanic pedophile Freemasons WEF traitors”, in the cited examples, Jews are primarily mentioned as perpetrators and the driving force behind, among other things, ritual child abuse. Images were also included in the post about “Zionist Jews” and rabbit holes with the text “When you get to the Jew, you are at the bottom of the rabbit hole.”
The public prosecutor believes that the statements qualify as group defamation against Jews. The public prosecution service demanded a community service order of 30 hours. The magistrate imposed a fine of €700, half of which is conditional with a probation period of two years.
Attempted aggravated assault, threats, and group defamation
The third case concerns a person suspected of committing four criminal offenses on April 12, 2024, in Alkmaar: attempted aggravated assault, threats, group defamation of black people, and defamation.
The probation service advised negatively about a community service order, which is why the public prosecutor demanded a fine of €2,500, of which €1,500 is conditional. The magistrate sentenced the defendant to a fine of €2,000, of which €1,500 is conditional with a probation period of two years.
The public prosecution service attaches great importance to tackling criminal discrimination. Every citizen must know and feel like a full citizen, and be safeguarded from discriminatory statements and actions. The public prosecution service aims to clearly express societal rejection of discrimination wherever possible during court hearings.