Ghent court convicts Van Langenhove; he will appeal

Dries Van Langenhove received a one-year suspended prison sentence and a 1,600 euro fine from the Ghent Court of Appeal. He plans to appeal the verdict. The sentence, related to racism and denial of the Holocaust, is a reduction from the initial one-year prison sentence in the first instance. The former politician was also convicted for weapons law violations. The case stems from a 2018 investigation into racist and antisemitic messages shared within the Schild & Vrienden group. Van Langenhove intends to take the case to the Court of Cassation.