Belgian Politician Sentenced for Sexist Behavior on TV Show

A victory for the Institute for Equality between Women and Men (IEFH) at the origin of a complaint for sexism against Redouane Ahrouch, co-founder of the Islam party. The latter had made sexist remarks during the television program "C’est pas tous les jours dimanche" (RTL-TVI) on April 22, 2018. He had refused to dialogue with the columnist Emmanuelle Praet, and even to look her in the eye, on the grounds that she was a woman.

The Brussels Criminal Court had sentenced Redouane Ahrouch to a six-month suspended prison sentence for sexist behavior and remarks on April 24, 2019. Dissatisfied with this judgment, he appealed. On Wednesday, the Brussels Court of Appeal reduced his sentence from six to four months in prison with probation, reports Belga. He is required to pay compensation of 1,000 euros to Emmanuelle Praet and one symbolic euro to the Institute for Equality between Women and Men.

According to the court, the co-founder of the Islam party had indeed been guilty of sexism. The facts "have undermined not only a particular woman, despised because she is a woman," but have also "undermined a fundamental value of our democratic society, namely equality between women and men," it points out.