Two football fans accused of anti-Semitic chants during a game involving Beerschot Football Club were acquitted by the Antwerp Correctional Court on Tuesday.
A video of the fans allegedly chanting anti-Jewish slogans and performing Hitler salutes while watching a closed-door match between Beerschot and Anderlecht on 27 December 2021 at a café in Antwerp had been widely shared online.
The Interfederal Centre for Equal Opportunities, UNIA, lodged a complaint after the incident surfaced and the police’s Football Unit identified S.L., 25, and V.V., 24, as key suspects. Both belong to the VAK I ultra group, a faction of Beerschot’s most ardent supporters.
S.L. claimed he was drunk and had limited memory of the episode. He also said the chants were aimed at rivals, Antwerp, and not Jews.
V.V., an employee at the café, denied participating and could not see himself on the video footage.
The prosecutor had demanded a year’s imprisonment and an €800 fine for glorifying World War II genocide and inciting hate or violence.
However, the court acquitted the defendants based on doubt as “the screenshots in the file are very blurry and the images themselves are not of the best, therefore, none of the suspects can be identified.”
UNIA sought €500 in damages but this claim was turned down.
