The East Flanders public prosecutor's office has appealed against the acquittal of the 17 defendants in the Project Thule case. Last month the Criminal Court in the East Flemish town of Oudenaarde acquitted the 17, included the leader of the far-right organisation Project Thule, a former soldier Tomas Boutens (photo). They will now face a second trial before the Court of Appeal in Ghent.
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Appeal against the acquittal of the defendants in Project Thule private militia case
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The case was bought after police in the East Flemish town of Geraardsbergen were made aware of a gathering. The gathering, on 19 December 2020, was a breach of the restrictions that were then in place to curb the spread of COVID-19 and as such was illegal. When the police arrived at the gathering, they found crossbows, neo-Nazi symbols and propaganda for the private militia Project Thule, a group founded by Tomas Boutens. In 2014 former soldier Tomas Boutens was sentenced to five years' imprisonment for his part in the activities of the of the far-right group Bloed, Bodem, Eer en Trouw (BBET).
A total of 17 defendants that were at the gathering in Geraardsbergen were tried by the court in Oudenaarde. Sixteen were charged with membership of a private militia, 11 with possession of a crossbow, one with the possession of a dagger and one with the possession of pepper spray.
The prosecution had requested 26 months' imprisonment for Tomas Boutens for forming a private militia and for the possession of illegal weapons. Prison sentences ranging from 6 to 18 months were requested for the 17 other defendants.
In early December, the Oudenaarde Criminal Court acquitted 17 defendants, ruling that the constituent elements of a militia as defined by law such as coming together with the intention of using violence or committing acts in the public domain had not been established.
Now the public prosecutor office has appealed against the verdict and the case will be brought before the Court of Appeal in Gent.