Van Langenhove Appeals Hate Speech Conviction in Belgium

Far-right activist and former Belgian parliamentarian Dries Van Langenhove has filed an appeal against his conviction for incitement to hatred during a lecture at KU Leuven, reigniting a fierce debate in Belgium about the boundaries between free speech and hate speech.

Van Langenhove was fined €4,000 on May 26, 2026, by the Leuven Criminal Court for statements made during a February 28, 2024 lecture at KU Leuven’s Pedagogisch Instituut. The event, organized by the right-wing student association NSV (Nationalistische Studentenvereniging), was initially registered as a lecture on regenerative agriculture but became a monologue on migration and crime, according to VRT NWS.

The Lecture and Conviction

On February 28, 2024, Van Langenhove addressed an audience invited by NSV. According to the Belga news agency, he allegedly described “Black Africans” as inferior to “White Flemings and Europeans” multiple times and referred to Roma women as thieves. The university, which had approved the event based on its stated topic, filed a criminal complaint the following day.

KU Leuven Rector Luc Sels stated at the time that the remarks “clearly go beyond the legal limits of freedom of speech,” as reported by VRT NWS. The university also banned NSV from using its facilities until the end of 2025, declaring that “expressions of sexism, racism, threats or the denial of genocides determined by law will never be accepted or normalized by KU Leuven.”

Approximately 150 people gathered at the Ladeuzeplein in Leuven to protest against the lecture, and a petition against Van Langenhove’s appearance was signed over 1,000 times.

In its May 2026 ruling, the court found Van Langenhove guilty of incitement to hatred based on nationality or ethnic origin, and dissemination of ideas based on racial superiority or racial hatred. The judgment stated that his statements “contribute to a climate of intolerance and division” and that “racism sets population groups against each other and increases the risk of discrimination, intimidation, social exclusion and violence.”

The Appeal

Van Langenhove filed his appeal on June 26, 2026, the same day the news broke. His lawyer, Piet Noë, argues that the court did not sufficiently clarify which specific passages were deemed punishable. “We request acquittal, or at least a revision or reduction of the imposed penalty,” Noë stated, as reported by VRT NWS.

The defense maintains that Van Langenhove was simply presenting facts in a political and social critique without any concrete call to hatred or violence. The €4,000 fine is also being challenged.

Free Speech Debate Reignited

The case has drawn attention from prominent Belgian intellectuals. Philosopher Maarten Boudry, despite strongly disagreeing with Van Langenhove’s ideology—calling it “closely bordering on fascism”—criticized the ruling as “scandalous.” In a post on X, Boudry argued that “in a liberal country you are NOT convicted for discussing the overrepresentation of ‘certain population groups’ in crime statistics,” as reported by PAL.

Moral philosopher Patrick Loobuyck also expressed concerns, warning that “‘incitement to hatred or violence’ is legally a very stretchable concept” that gives judges “too much room for expansive interpretation, which does not benefit freedom of speech.”

The court, however, emphasized that the offense was not about spreading false information but about the incitement to hatred itself, noting that the crimes “go against the foundations of a democratic constitutional state.”

Broader Legal Context

This case is the latest in a series of legal proceedings against Van Langenhove, the founder of the far-right movement Schild & Vrienden. In March 2024, he was convicted to one year effective prison and a €16,000 fine for violations of racism and negationism laws, plus 10 months suspended for illegal weapons possession. On appeal in June 2025, the Gent Court of Appeal reduced the sentence to one year suspended prison and a €1,600 fine, citing the “reasonable term” of proceedings having been exceeded.

Van Langenhove was convicted under Belgium’s Antiracism Law (Antiracismewet) and laws against the dissemination of ideas based on racial superiority.

What’s Next

The appeal will now be heard by a higher court, which will determine whether the original conviction stands. The case is being closely watched as a potential precedent for how Belgium’s hate speech laws apply to politically charged speech. Questions remain about whether the appeal court will provide clearer guidance on which specific statements crossed the legal line, and whether the European Court of Human Rights may eventually weigh in on the free speech dimensions of the case.

Van Langenhove, who served as an independent MP in the Vlaams Belang faction from 2019 to 2023 before resigning to focus on activism, continues to maintain that his lecture was a legitimate political critique. The outcome of his appeal could have significant implications for the limits of political discourse in Belgium and beyond.