The duo was sentenced to six months in prison two years after wishing Rotterdam residents a ‘Happy White 2023’
Two men have been sentenced to six months in prison for projecting “discriminatory” and “publicly offensive” statements, including ‘White Lives Matter,’ onto Rotterdam’s Erasmus Bridge during the 2022-2023 New Year’s celebrations.
The Rotterdam court found John A., 26, from Zwijndrecht, and Daniil S., 36, from Landgraaf, guilty of group insult and incitement to discrimination. The verdict, delivered on Wednesday, sentenced them to six months in jail.
“I’m John. Just a few hours ago I was sentenced to six months in prison for projecting ‘White lives matter’ on the Erasmus Bridge,” one of the activists said in a brief video shared on X. “Whether you agree with this message or not, this shows that the system is fundamentally anti white, and free speech is a lie.”
The duo staged the display that appeared on the Erasmus Bridge just after the start of 2023 to a large crowd of revelers at the site and and those who watched the celebrations broadcast live on RTL 4. The projected slogans included the notorious “Fourteen Words” coined by the late US white supremacist David Lane, as well as more mundane messages such as ‘White Lives Matter’ and ‘Happy White 2023.’
A message from the Erasmusbrug: WHITE LIVES MATTER
Other phrases were in Dutch and referenced local issues, such as ‘Zwarte Piet did nothing wrong,’ referring to a cancel-culture campaign against a local traditional Christmas character and St. Nicolas sidekick, Black Pete, deemed by the critics to be an offensive blackface tradition.
In addition to the Erasmus Bridge incident, the men were accused of projecting similar messages onto the city halls of Alkmaar and Eindhoven in early 2023. During Carnival in Eindhoven, slogans like ‘Keep Lampegat white’ and ‘Hello on behalf of white Netherlands’ were displayed.
Both defendants had prior convictions for similar offenses, including distributing racist stickers and verbally assaulting individuals, which resulted in community service and suspended prison sentences in 2023. This time, the prosecution argued for real jail time, citing the high public exposure of the bridge display.
The court considered the prosecution’s arguments, the defendants’ prior convictions, and their absence from a December hearing when determining the six-month sentences.
