Online aggressors could face fines for social media threats

Insults, threats and verbal aggression committed in the Brussels West police zone will now be liable to municipal administrative fines (SAC fines), the mayor of Jette has announced.

“Certain minor offences, such as insults and verbal aggression, are in reality never penalised,” Hervé Doyen explained. “That means it’s the job of the municipalities to punish these offences, using the SAC fine. But anyone who receives such insults via the internet or social media has no legal recourse to do anything about it. With the five municipalities of the Brussels West police zone, we intend to do something about it.”

The zone is made up of Molenbeek, Jette, Ganshoren, Berchem-Sainte-Agathe and Koekelberg. Together they have a population of around 180,000. The move involves amending the first article of the police regulation that governs the zone, to extend the notion of “public space” to include the online space – a move that is likely to be challenged in court before long.

“We can’t get round the fact that insults are increasingly being thrown around in the virtual public space,” Doyen said. “People think they can say what they like on internet and social media.”

Photo: Ingimage