Two young men who posted images on social media of a police intervention in 2020 have been found guilty of defamation of the police and processing personal data without legal basis.
During which it was investigated whether an officer of the Ghent local police had shouted "catch the monkeys" to his police dog.
This was decided by the Ghent Criminal Court on Thursday. The man who filmed the video was given a 50-hour community service order. The second defendant was given a simple guilty verdict because the reasonable time limit had been exceeded.
The events took place in October 2020 when strict Covid-19 measures were in force. One of the young men stated that he was arrested for filming an intervention at Edmond Van Beverenplein.
"I was fully cooperative and did not resist at any point. I listened to the officers’ instructions. A K9 [police dog, ed.] was set on me and several others, resulting in serious injuries," the man wrote on social media.
"I was filming on the street, behind the safety zone designated by the police. I was then thrown violently against a van by four men and my mobile phone was confiscated."
The footage captured the phrase "get the macaques [monkeys, ed.]" being shouted as the dog attacked, but the court was not able to see who uttered the words. The officer with the dog later stated in his interrogation that he shouted "get them, boys" to encourage the police dog.
Taking sides with the police's version of the story despite the video evidence, the Public Prosecutor’s Office requested that two officers be cleared of charges of intentional assault and battery, and the court and the indictment chamber agreed.
The two young men who posted the footage on social media were charged with defamation, resisting arrest and violating privacy laws by unlawfully distributing the video.
