A court in Bruges has sentenced four men in their twenties to community service for their part in the Blankenberge beach riots, now three years ago. A fifth defendant was interned, having already been interned in connection with another case.
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Blankenberge beach riots: four sentenced to community service, one interned (VIDEO)
Colin Clapson
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In August 2020, violent riots broke out on Blankenberge beach. A group of youths were asked to leave the beach and then turned against the police and beach lifeguards, pelting them with umbrellas, deck chairs and toys.
Three troublemakers were arrested on the spot and subsequently detained by an examining judge. Further investigations later allowed other suspects to be identified. In the end, five men had to answer in court.
They now know their sentences. Three rioters received 150 hours' community service, and one received 100 hours' community service. A fifth defendant was interned. He cannot be held responsible for his actions and was also interned in connection with another case. The rioters must also pay thousands of euros in damages.
The prosecution had sought prison sentences of up to 18 months. According to the defence, this was inadmissible, but the judge did not go along with that reasoning.
Patrick Arnou, the lawyer of the city of Blankenberge, is satisfied: "These are tough work sentences. The judge wanted to send a clear signal to say what happened is not acceptable."