Raisa Blommestijn, a presenter for Ongehoord Nederland (ON), has been sentenced to 80 hours of community service, 40 of which are conditional with a probationary period of two years.
The sentence, handed down by the court in The Hague, surpasses the initial 40 hours recommended by the Public Prosecutor’s Office (OM). The court deemed the prosecutor's request insufficiently reflective of the gravity of the offenses.
Group Defamation Charges
Blommestijn, 30, was convicted of inciting intolerance and group defamation due to a controversial tweet she posted in May last year.
The tweet responded to a video depicting a white man being assaulted by a group of Black individuals. In her post on X, Blommestijn referred to the assailants as “negroid primates” and criticized immigration policies, claiming such incidents are the result of open-border policies.
The court ruled that Blommestijn’s statement placed “two groups of people against each other based on their skin color,” portraying white individuals as victims of people with darker skin tones.
Blommestijn had argued that her remarks were a form of political commentary, insisting she was criticizing the behavior depicted in the video rather than the individuals’ race.
Freedom of Expression Debate
Blommestijn has maintained that her comments fall under her right to freedom of expression, arguing that she merely sought to criticize the actions shown in the video.
The court stated that while freedom of expression allows for significant latitude in public discourse, Blommestijn had crossed the line into incitement and defamation.
Additional Defamation Case
In a separate ruling, Blommestijn was ordered to pay €1,550 in damages to Sidney Smeets, a lawyer and former D66 parliamentarian. She had referred to him as a "toddler fucker" in a tweet.
Smeets was previously accused of inappropriate behavior towards young boys, including minors, on social media. Despite these accusations, Smeets has never faced prosecution.
Blommestijn’s defense argued that her statements were based on public allegations, but the court found them defamatory.
Blommestijn's Reaction
Following the verdict, Blommestijn denounced the ruling as a blow to democracy, the rule of law, and freedom of speech. In an interview with ON, she claimed that the court’s interpretation of her words was incorrect. “I explained what I meant during the trial. The court has imposed an interpretation on my words that I neither said nor intended,” she said.
Blommestijn and her lawyer plan to appeal the decision, maintaining her stance that the charges undermine the right to criticize government policies.
Source: NOS