Belgian MP Dries Van Langenhove, who stepped down in early February after controversy surrounded his connection to far-right chat groups, will be tried for Holocaust denial, according to the Brussels Times.
Van Langenhove, who represented the Flemish far-right Vlaams Belang party, will stand trial before the Correctional Court for Holocaust denial, announced the prosecutor’s office in Ghent.
The trial comes after a criminal investigation by Belgian outlet VRT in 2018 found racist and antisemitic messages being shared in secret message groups belonging to a far-right youth movement referred to as “Schild & Vrienden.”
Van Langenhove was officially declared under investigation as the alleged founder of Schild & Vrienden in June 2019. He was released by authorities under the condition that he take a guided tour of the Kazerne Dossin Holocaust memorial.
But in the summer of 2022, it was ruled that Van Langenhove had violated Belgium’s law against possession of pepper spray. He was also indicted for inciting hatred and promoting racism, according to the Times.
Five other members of Schild & Vrienden were tried by a court for denying, minimizing or condoning the Holocaust. But that ruling did not apply to Van Langehove at the time, who had not personally posted the messages in question. That decision was appealed by several civil complainants with the prosecutor’s office.
The former politician is now set to appear before the Correctional Court to face Holocaust denial charges.
(Israel National News' North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Israel National News articles, however, is Israeli time.)