Plastic surgeon Jeff Hoeyberghs, who had been sentenced at first instance to 10 months in prison, suspended for half, and fined 8,000 euros for sexism and discrimination after his statements at the University of Ghent in 2019, was largely acquitted on Tuesday by the Ghent Court of Appeal. The court, on the other hand, considered that three passages were punishable in the eyes of the law and condemned him to a fine of 1,000 euros.
The person concerned, invited by the Flemish conservative student association Katholiek Vlaams Hoogstudentenverbond (KVHV), had made controversial remarks during a conference given at the University of Ghent on December 4, 2019. “Women want the privileges of protection masculine and money, but they no longer want to spread their legs”, he had thus declared in particular.
The sexist remarks of a Flemish surgeon: nothing new under the sun of fools
The Institute for the Equality of Women and Men had received 1,489 reports following the posting of images of the conference. Similarly, Unia, the former Interfederal Center for Equal Opportunities, had received 152 reports of discrimination on the basis of “racial criteria, physical characteristics or state of health”.