A court of appeal in Ghent on Friday confirmed that far-right organisation Project Thule was a "private militia", sentencing 16 of the groups members for participating in or supporting its activities. Nine of the defendants were also found guilty of carrying weapons.
The case began on 20 December 2020 with a police raid in Geraardsbergen, East Flanders. Authorities had been alerted to a illegal gathering organised during a lockdown as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.
During the raid, officers seized crossbows, pepper sprays, a dagger, propaganda materials, and Flemish nationalist writings. The gathering was a meeting of Project Thule, founded by Tomas Boutens.
Boutens was previously convicted for his involvement in the neo-Nazi group BBET and had been arrested in 2006 while planning attacks. He is currently monitored by the Coordination Unit for Threat Analysis (Ocam) as a "high-risk" individual.
The December 2020 raid led to a trial, which initially acquitted all defendants. A judge in Oudenaarde believed that there was not enough evidence that they group intended to use violence. The prosecution appealed this decision, believing Project Thule to be a far-right private militia.
"It is clear that 'Project Thule' really aimed to turn away from the current democratic system and government, including by eventually using violence to maintain public order instead of the army, police and security services set up by the government," a statement from the court reads. The judge ruled that the group was willing to use violence to achieve its goals.
On Friday, seven defendants received a prison sentence while another eight suspects have been ordered to complete community service. One other suspect was granted a three-year probationary period.
