Willem Engel also loses new case against virologist Van Ranst | Inland

Virus truth foreman Willem Engel has also lost a second lawsuit against the well-known Belgian virologist Marc Van Ranst. The court in Mechelen acquitted Van Ranst of defamation on Thursday morning. Engel also has to pay the outspoken professor thousands of euros in damages.

Engel and Van Ranst have been harassing each other on Twitter for a long time, but the corona skeptic has shifted the war of words to the courtroom. He tries to get the virologist convicted of slander and defamation. Van Ranst would have again called Engel a virus denier, which the opponent of corona vaccines and measures does not take.

But according to Van Ranst, Engel is only out to attract attention and make life miserable for him. The virologist, who invariably defends himself, spends a lot of time on it that he would rather spend on more important things. Engel is indeed taking Van Ranst to court too lightly, the court finds. The Dutchman has to pay the professor, opinion maker and corona advisor of the Belgian government 4000 euros.

Engel already lost a similar case against Van Ranst in September. Because the Belgian had spoken out in front of a television camera this time and not in the newspaper, Engel saw an opportunity to try again. The previous attempt failed because the rules in Belgium for penalizing statements in the newspaper are much stricter. But this time too, according to the judge, there is no question of slander and defamation.

Van Ranst only insulted Engel in the offending television interview, the Public Prosecution Service stated earlier.

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