Last Saturday demonstrations were held worldwide against the industry of Genetically Manipulated Organisms. No problem in Brussels, but fines in Antwerp. Not just police tickets but the new Belgian version of it: Municipal Administrative Sanctions (#MAS (*) of in Dutch: #GAS or Gemeentelijke Administratieve Sancties, in French: #SAC or Sanctions Administratives Communales).

Critism is swelling in Belgium against those sanctions now that Parliament will vote Thursday upon an even harsher version of the law, lowering the age limit to children from 14 year on (now 16 years) and raising the amount and the scope of fines. One of the most fundamental criticisms concerns the separation of powers. #GAS-sanctions are decided by a city official (often a city secretary or even a police officer) and not by an independent judge. Afterwards an appeal is possible at the Police Court, but the procedure is such a huge barrier that not one in a thousand cases is disputed. You could define this situation as ‘Justice Upside Down’ and I explained  this on April 15th in the official report the Commision of Parliament asked me about the reform (link here ).

Last Saturday 80 demonstrators were fined with #GAS in Antwerp as a clear proof that this administrative technique is more and more used against free speech and peaceful  demonstrations.

The conditions in Antwerp on this May 25th were quite particular and illustrate the danger of this approach.

It must be admitted first that no formal demand for a demonstration was registered at the Antwerp city hall (as it was in Brussels).  Some officials impose a 6-week-deadline for such demands, making them practically impossible or irrelevant.

Initially a Facebook appeal called for a meeting at the Antwerp Groenplaats where Occupy Antwerp activists distributed leaflets for the Monsanto demonstration in Brussels the same morning. A group started walking to the Central Station to take the train there to Brussels. At that time a policeman announced participants would be arrested. It is far from certain all present heard this. The police added to the confusion by finally deciding to accompany the group to the Central Station. A police car was at the head of the group and another car followed, with agents on the side like any other official demonstration (see You Tube and photos). The first police car itself took the shortest way following the Meir, a busy shopping street where on no occasion any official demonstration is admitted, but in this case also more confortable for the participants in wheelchairs.

On the way many people spontaneously added to the growing crowd (about 200 people) in good humor: parents with kids and babies in buggies (see You Tube here after).

Finally the original group took the train to Brussels and was never asked any question. Others wanted to go on to the Turnhoutsebaan, what the police forbade, proposing instead to accompany them to the starting point at the Groenplaats. Not the smallest incident took place on this same way back. There is no indication participants would have disobeyed if the police officer in het head car would have decided for an alternative route.

It was only arriving at the Groenplaats that other police cars closed in and a police zone appeared to have been organized to trap the remaining participants.  Women with children and wheelchaired patients were allowed to leave. 80 others were arrested, transported to police headquarters and confined in cells to be charged with a #GAS sanction, to be defined by the #GAS official of the city (between €50 - €250 now). On agent excused himself with the comment: “we are only the puppets on strings held high above us”.

I wondered on Twitter how long ago it was that such an overkill capacity of police officers was mobilized to attack tax fraud in Antwerp, where the diamond sector is at the heart of a long series of gigantic financial scandals.

The discussion of disproportionnal limits to peaceful demonstration and ‘symbolic speech’ will be at the heart of the trial tomorrow May 28th in Dendermonde of 11 members of the Field Liberation Movement (link here).

I was officially informed today that on that trial even the possession of any cell phone (smart phone of not) will be forbidden for all (also public and press) in the court room – a measure unheard of with the only exception of the most delicate terror trials (and not applied in the the earlier court session in Dendermonde). You could wonder if this decision of the court president on basis of his authority of art. 759 Belgian Procedural Code (maintaining order in the court) also tells something about the presumption of innocence and the outcome.

Protesters first were criminalized. Then, according tot the accusation in Dendermonde, they became ‘gang members’. Now, standing trial, they are treated as terrorists.

Your #justicewatcher  #justitiewatcher

(*) MAS as Municipal Administrative Sanctions are not to be confounded with MAS, as ‘Museum Aan de Stroom, a must-see in Antwerp (link here).

Read tomorrow my column on the ‘potato trial’ on Knack.be (link here)

YOU TUBES ABOUT THE MONSANTO MARCH IN ANTWERP ON SATURDAY MAY 25th:

March in Antwerp with police car in the front and another at the end.

Marching in Antwerp with kids, handicapped people, bikers joining...

Wat seemed a friendly walk, with our friend, the police....

Crackdown: massive police power to arrest at the end of the walk against Monsanto.

M’n advies van 15 04 2013 aan de kamercommissie Binnenlandse Zaken over het wetsontwerp voor een nieuwe GAS-wet:

Klik hier voor de link naar het advies.

M’n FAQ pagina over GAS met nuttige info over procedures: klik hier.

Follow me on Twitter@NolfJan   #justitiewatcher #justitiefluisteraar For some of my #Tweets, click here.

View my earlier comments, interviews and columns in the press (link here).

U vindt hier de link voor beschrijving, inhoudstafel, en on line bestelling van m’n pas verschenen boek over ‘Kwetsbaren in het recht. Voorlopige Bewindvoering: de juridische bescherming van kwetsbare personen.

Photo of the day:

You Tubes of the Day:

Le substitut du Procureur de la République, Oswald Baudot

‘In nome del populo italiano’ (film Dino Risi)

Afscheid op het vredegerecht, 31 08 2011

Afscheidsinterview in Villa Vanthilt 04 08 2011

M’n rondleiding in het vredegerecht:

‘Het huis van steen en wolken’

All my You Tubes: link here.

Wat u vast niet gemist hebt - Ce que vous n’avez certainement

pas râté  - You didn’t miss this one did you ???

2013 05 26 ‘Open brief aan burgemeester van A’ (DWM)

2013 05 27 ‘Wie actie criminaliseert, holt democratie uit’ (DWM)

2013 03 27 ‘Als de rechter kijft en slaat, krijgt de rechtstaat klappen

(Prof S. Gutwirth & D. Voorhof in De Juristenkrant p. 11)

2013 03 03 ‘Emopatat’ (column prof. Leo Neels in Knack)

2013 02 24 Oproep van Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker

2013 01 09 ‘Zware straffen en astronomische schadeclaim voor

vernielde aardappelplantjes’ (DWM)

2013 01 03 ‘Activist of onderzoeker ?’ (Opinie DS Drs M. Vande Sande)

2012 07 2012 ‘Sympatisanten aardappelactivisten melden zich aan

als beklaagde (DWM)

2012 05 08 ‘FLM-activisten voor de rechter in Dendermonde (DWM)

2012 05 04 ‘Mogen we nog actie voeren ? Aardappelactivisten

wachten strafzaak af (DWM)

2011 06 07 ‘Frankenstein’ (Opinie van #BDW op website N-VA)

2013 05 16 ‘GAS-boetes voor kinderen: het definitieve einde van de

rechtstaat’ (column Eddy Eerdekens in Knack)

2013 05 15 ‘De harde cijfers over bijzondere jeugdzorg: om koud

van te worden (Opinie volksvertegenwoordigers Else De Wachter en

Bart Van Malderen in Knack)

2013 05 15 ‘N-VA keurt GAS-boetes mee goed’ (Knack)

2013 05 14 ‘Na de GAS-boetes, nu de GAS-beloningen. Jouw

suggesties !’ (Hautekiet op Radio1)

2013 04 12 ‘BDW: ‘Gas-boetes prima middel om radicalisering

aan te pakken’ (Knack)

2013 02 22 ‘BDW start nieuw GAS-boete-offensief’ (Knack)

2012 10 04 ‘Assad zet GAS-boetes in tegen kinderen’ (De Rechtzetting ;-)

Mijn Opinies & interviews over #GAS (klik op de titel voor de link):

2013 05 16 ‘We verGASsen onze ziel’ (column in Knack)

2013 04 16 ‘We vergassen onze ziel’ (Opinie op website Liga voor Mensenrechten)

2013 04 16 ‘We verGASsen onze ziel’ (Opinie op site van GAS-debatten in Vlaanderen en Brussel)

2013 04 19 ‘Klassenjustitie: GASboetes voor sneeuwballen, niet voor Sinksenfoor’ (column in Knack)

2013 04 15 ‘Leg een moratorium op alle GAS-boetes’ (interview in Knack met link naar advies aan Kamercommissie BZ)

2013 01 23 ‘Rechters verliezen terrein. We evolueren langzaam naar een politiestaat’ (interview in artikel Knack)

2012 12 07 ‘Boerkaverbod: hoe een vals probleem een echt probleem kan worden’ (interview in Knack)

2012 12 05 ‘GAS-boetes zijn een uiting van onmacht’ (een van de 3 interviews in Knack)

2012 11 15 ‘Drie wijzen over GASboetes’: m’n interview p. 14 in themanummer PIDmag van jongerenmagazine Stampmedia.

2012 10 22 ‘Wettelijke basis GAS-wetgeving blijft overeind’ interview in Knack

2012 10 12 ‘Justitie te koop. Gas-boetes zijn het einde van de rechtstaat’ column in Knack

2012 05 30 ‘Wildgroei aan gemeentelijke adminstratieve sancties ?’ Radio1 Peeters & Pichal

2012 05 26 ‘Gemeenten moeten geen rechter spelen’ Het Nieuwsblad

2012 05 22 ‘GAS terugnemen aub.’ De Standaard

2012 05 22 ‘Vive le Québec libre ! ‘ (over straat- en betogingsverbod) Opinie VRTDeRedactie

2012 04 12 ‘De verdwijning van de strafrechtelijke vervolging’ Opinie VRTDeRedactie

2012 01 23 ‘De champetter en Flurk, GAS boetes voor 14-jarigen ?’ Opinie VRTDeRedactie

A quote a day, keeps the doctor away:

“Hoed u voor wetenschappers, ondernemers, beleidsmakers, ordehandhavers of politici die hun professionele rol menen te moeten ‘primeren’ boven hun maatschappelijke verantwoordelijkheden !”

Opinie Drs Mathijs Van De Sande in DS 2013 03 01 (link hier).

Poem of the day:

“De taal is onze draad van Ariadne in het labyrint van ons zijn, en we lezen en schrijven niet zozeer om ergens ter bestemming te komen, als wel om de weg terug niet kwijt te raken’

Erwin Mortier, ‘Wat voorbij is begint pas. Lichtzinnige meditaties over het schrijven’ (2010, De Bezige Bij, Amsterdam)