The Brussels Criminal Court has convicted a 23-year-old woman for sharing a video on TikTok that alleged satanic rituals were taking place in a freemason's temple in Brussels. Her lawyer confirmed on Friday she will not appeal.
The civil party, including the Circle of Philanthropic Friends and the temple’s caretaker, will also not appeal the verdict and accept the symbolic compensation of one euro, their lawyer said. "My primary concern was to reassure my clients about the intentions of the person involved," expressed lawyer Laurent Kennes on Friday.
The woman was found guilty of threats, harassment, and defamation and was sentenced to a probationary period with specific conditions.
These include attending a guided tour of the temple to learn about Freemasonry, seeking gainful employment, and refraining from sharing content on social media that could be considered a criminal offence. Failing to meet these conditions could result in a four-month prison sentence.
On 24 January, she posted a video on TikTok under the pseudonym "Supergirl", showing the temple of the Circle of Philanthropic Friends in Brussels, claiming it was occupied by the Illuminati and that satanic rituals were conducted there. The video received 86,000 views and generated 3,462 interactions.
On 2 February, the temple was targeted by stone-throwing, which shattered a window. Three days later, four individuals illegally entered the premises.
The video creator was apprehended in late February and claimed that the video was meant as a joke, not anticipating the scale of its consequences.
