In addition, he must pay compensation of €20,000 to the parents of a former Reuzegommer party member for the damages they suffered as restaurant owners.
Acid, also known as Nathan Vandergunst, had to answer in court on charges of harassment (online), invasion of privacy, and defamation. The YouTube user was sentenced to prison and a fine of up to 136,000 euros. The parents of the former student demanded compensation amounting to 200 thousand euros.
Criminal record
Acid was moved after hearing the ruling. He told the press afterwards: “It's shocking when you hear the judge say: 'Three months in prison'. Even if it was postponed.” “This will still be a punishment that will go on my criminal record. This was not the case with the Reuzegommers. This is bullshit. Horrible even. I will have to carry this with me for the rest of my life.”
The YouTuber says he's proud of what he did. “I would do it again. I said in my video what a lot of people were thinking. What I get today is a solid sandwich. But I stay positive, even if there's nothing positive about it actually.” Acid does not plan to appeal the ruling and says it will continue producing videos.
During the substantive hearing of the case last month, the YouTuber said he did not regret his retaliatory actions. He called for freedom of expression:
In 2018, Sanda Dea, a 20-year-old engineering student, died after a hazing incident spiraled out of control at the Leuven student association “Reuzigum”. Participating students received community service sentences of up to 300 hours and fines of up to 400 euros. Many Belgians thought these sentences were too low.
Not involved
Acid decided to take matters into his own hands. He posted a video clip online with the names of the perpetrators. In this video he also mistakenly mentioned someone who was not involved in the hazing. YouTube took the video offline.
An innocent former student was harassed online after an acid video. His parents' star restaurant in Antwerp received false reservations and reviews. Therefore, they demanded compensation for the damage to their business. The boy himself wanted a symbolic sum of 1 euro.
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The former student's lawyer and parents are satisfied with the ruling. “It is important for us that the court has given a signal that freedom of expression is not absolute. There are limits.”
