Guido Demoor
Encyclopedia
Guido Demoor was a Belgian
NMBS/SNCB
Thalys
train driver and father of two children. He died on 24 June 2006 after an incident of violence in an Antwerp public transport bus.
The exact circumstances under which Demoor died remain disputed in the media.
What is certain, is that an incident took place round 15h on 24 June 2006, when the 54-year old Demoor was heading to work on a De Lijn
city bus in Antwerp. There was a disturbance, involving Demoor and six youths of Moroccan
descent (five Belgian citizens, one with Spanish passport). During the incident, Demoor received more than one blow to his body. Near the end of the incident, one of the youths rang the alarm bell, and some or all of them left the bus. Demoor died, after or before the boys left the bus, apparently from a subarachnoid hemorrhage
.
What follows is less certain.
Initial press reports led to believe that the youths started causing a disturbance on the bus. When Demoor stood up and tried to calm things down, he was beaten to the ground and kicked repeatedly. The youths then pulled the emergency brake and fled the bus, leaving Demoor to die.
Later, newspapers however reported that he asked the youths to calm down, and that, when they wouldn't listen, he grabbed one of them at the throat. Two of them then beat and kicked Demoor, the other four watched. After this, the youngsters fled.
According to the youth's lawyers, the six youths were just making noise. Demoor repeatedly yelled to lower the volume. One of the youths apologised. After another yell from Demoor, one of the youths started making animal noises, upon which Demoor made physical threats, calling: "It's always the same problem with you, Moroccans".
When the supposedly threatened youth tried to ward off Demoor, the latter is said to have grabbed the boy (1m 60 tall) at the throat and pushed his head against the bus window, yelling : "Now you will shut up!" The attacked boy asking for help, his friend struck Demoor twice, upon which Demoor released his victim. A third boy pushed the alarm button, the attacked boy kicked Demoor in the chest, and five of the six boys fled from the bus. The sixth boy remained on the bus, and only got off a few minutes later, at a regular bus stop. At that moment, Demoor was still alive and looking well. Demoor died a few moments later. All youths, three of them minors, were arrested the days after the incident.
quoted a friend of one of the youngsters saying that "they didn't intend to kill Demoor and only fled because they panicked."
Later on in the investigation, the public prosecutor reclassed the case from manslaughter to assault and battery resulting in unintentional death.
An autopsy on Demoor's body showed that he died because of a subarachnoid hemorrhage
, possibly caused by high blood pressure or anxiety, or — indirectly — by the wounds brought on during the fight. The doctors declared that there is a "medical causal relationship" between the beats received and the cause of death. On July 1, a reconstruction of the incident was held in a De Lijn
depot, because of safety concerns and the fact that the setting was of little importance.
On July 3 two adults were released. The lawyer of one of the other Moroccan youths claimed that he would seek acquittal on grounds of self defence. On July 7 and July 11, two of the minors were released, bringing the total number of people in custody to two out of six. The courts are thereby apparently following the above mentioned version of the facts put forward by the youths' lawyers.
At the end of September 2006, one minor and one adult was still in custody. A experts' report showed that "a connection between the facts and the death can't be ruled out".
ruled that Demoor had not provoked the facts, and that the beating was indeed the direct cause of his death. However, the sole adult suspect's sentence of two years imprisonment (which he had received in the original trial, but appealed against) was converted into a conditional sentence, meaning that he will not be sent to jail unless he commits new facts. The court cited his youthfulness, his blank criminal record, and his remorse (which the widow of Demoor claims not to have seen) as reasons for this lighter sentence.
and prime minister Guy Verhofstadt
. The latter called for a revision of the Belgian parole system. Unions for both De Lijn
and the NMBS/SNCB
employees called for more safety in their vehicles.
The Vlaams Belang
, the largest opposition party, criticizes the fact that the incident is commonly referred to in the media as the bus incident and not murder. They say the "downplaying" of this incident of "violence by immigrant youths", is done because "the media are controlled and dictated by socialists and liberals". During Demoor's funeral on June 30, a 14-year old girl who witnessed the incident read a letter saying that "he was just a nice man trying to bring calm". His colleagues declared that Demoor was a calm and peace-loving man, and said to be outraged that he was being presented as the initial aggressor by some.
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
NMBS/SNCB
NMBS/SNCB
The National Railway Company of Belgium, known as the or the Société Nationale des Chemins de fer Belges is the Belgian national railway operator.It is usually referred to in English as "Belgian Railways" or the SNCB....
Thalys
Thalys
Thalys is an international high-speed train operator originally built around the high-speed line between Paris and Brussels. This track is shared with Eurostar trains that go from Paris or Brussels to London via Lille and the Channel Tunnel and with French domestic TGV trains. Thalys reaches...
train driver and father of two children. He died on 24 June 2006 after an incident of violence in an Antwerp public transport bus.
The exact circumstances under which Demoor died remain disputed in the media.
What is certain, is that an incident took place round 15h on 24 June 2006, when the 54-year old Demoor was heading to work on a De Lijn
De Lijn
Vlaamse Vervoersmaatschappij De Lijn , usually known as simply De Lijn , is a company run by the Flemish government in Belgium to provide public transportation, similar to the way in which Belgian railroads or the postal system is run. It runs about 3650 buses and 359 trams...
city bus in Antwerp. There was a disturbance, involving Demoor and six youths of Moroccan
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
descent (five Belgian citizens, one with Spanish passport). During the incident, Demoor received more than one blow to his body. Near the end of the incident, one of the youths rang the alarm bell, and some or all of them left the bus. Demoor died, after or before the boys left the bus, apparently from a subarachnoid hemorrhage
Subarachnoid hemorrhage
A subarachnoid hemorrhage , or subarachnoid haemorrhage in British English, is bleeding into the subarachnoid space—the area between the arachnoid membrane and the pia mater surrounding the brain...
.
What follows is less certain.
Initial press reports led to believe that the youths started causing a disturbance on the bus. When Demoor stood up and tried to calm things down, he was beaten to the ground and kicked repeatedly. The youths then pulled the emergency brake and fled the bus, leaving Demoor to die.
Later, newspapers however reported that he asked the youths to calm down, and that, when they wouldn't listen, he grabbed one of them at the throat. Two of them then beat and kicked Demoor, the other four watched. After this, the youngsters fled.
According to the youth's lawyers, the six youths were just making noise. Demoor repeatedly yelled to lower the volume. One of the youths apologised. After another yell from Demoor, one of the youths started making animal noises, upon which Demoor made physical threats, calling: "It's always the same problem with you, Moroccans".
When the supposedly threatened youth tried to ward off Demoor, the latter is said to have grabbed the boy (1m 60 tall) at the throat and pushed his head against the bus window, yelling : "Now you will shut up!" The attacked boy asking for help, his friend struck Demoor twice, upon which Demoor released his victim. A third boy pushed the alarm button, the attacked boy kicked Demoor in the chest, and five of the six boys fled from the bus. The sixth boy remained on the bus, and only got off a few minutes later, at a regular bus stop. At that moment, Demoor was still alive and looking well. Demoor died a few moments later. All youths, three of them minors, were arrested the days after the incident.
Investigation
Initially, witnesses were able to provide a description of only one youngster. However, two days after the incident, when more testimonies came in, the police were able to identify three of them. On June 26 three arrests were made. In the morning of June 27, the three remaining boys were arrested. Three of the arrested youths had previously been in contact with the police in connection to minor crimes. Public broadcasters claimed that the arrests were thanks to tips received from the ethnic North African community, but the justice department denied this. VTMVTM
The abbreviation VTM may refer to::* Vampire: The Masquerade, a popular role-playing game* Virginia Tech massacre* vtm, the main commercial television station in Flanders, Belgium...
quoted a friend of one of the youngsters saying that "they didn't intend to kill Demoor and only fled because they panicked."
Later on in the investigation, the public prosecutor reclassed the case from manslaughter to assault and battery resulting in unintentional death.
An autopsy on Demoor's body showed that he died because of a subarachnoid hemorrhage
Subarachnoid hemorrhage
A subarachnoid hemorrhage , or subarachnoid haemorrhage in British English, is bleeding into the subarachnoid space—the area between the arachnoid membrane and the pia mater surrounding the brain...
, possibly caused by high blood pressure or anxiety, or — indirectly — by the wounds brought on during the fight. The doctors declared that there is a "medical causal relationship" between the beats received and the cause of death. On July 1, a reconstruction of the incident was held in a De Lijn
De Lijn
Vlaamse Vervoersmaatschappij De Lijn , usually known as simply De Lijn , is a company run by the Flemish government in Belgium to provide public transportation, similar to the way in which Belgian railroads or the postal system is run. It runs about 3650 buses and 359 trams...
depot, because of safety concerns and the fact that the setting was of little importance.
On July 3 two adults were released. The lawyer of one of the other Moroccan youths claimed that he would seek acquittal on grounds of self defence. On July 7 and July 11, two of the minors were released, bringing the total number of people in custody to two out of six. The courts are thereby apparently following the above mentioned version of the facts put forward by the youths' lawyers.
At the end of September 2006, one minor and one adult was still in custody. A experts' report showed that "a connection between the facts and the death can't be ruled out".
Final court ruling
On November 14, 2007, the Court of AppealCourt of Appeal (Belgium)
The Court of Appeal in Belgium is a court which hears appeals against decisions of the Court of First Instance and the Commercial Court. Unlike the Court of First Instance, the Court of Appeal isn't divided into different divisions. There are five Courts of Appeal in Belgium...
ruled that Demoor had not provoked the facts, and that the beating was indeed the direct cause of his death. However, the sole adult suspect's sentence of two years imprisonment (which he had received in the original trial, but appealed against) was converted into a conditional sentence, meaning that he will not be sent to jail unless he commits new facts. The court cited his youthfulness, his blank criminal record, and his remorse (which the widow of Demoor claims not to have seen) as reasons for this lighter sentence.
Reactions
There were official condemnations by mayor Patrick JanssensPatrick Janssens
Patrick Janssens is a Belgian politician, born on 19 September 1956. He is a member of the SP.a and currently mayor of the port city Antwerp.- Career :...
and prime minister Guy Verhofstadt
Guy Verhofstadt
Guy Verhofstadt is a Belgian politician who was the 47th Prime Minister of Belgium from 1999 to 2008. He is currently a Member of the European Parliament and leader of the Group of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe.- Early career :...
. The latter called for a revision of the Belgian parole system. Unions for both De Lijn
De Lijn
Vlaamse Vervoersmaatschappij De Lijn , usually known as simply De Lijn , is a company run by the Flemish government in Belgium to provide public transportation, similar to the way in which Belgian railroads or the postal system is run. It runs about 3650 buses and 359 trams...
and the NMBS/SNCB
NMBS/SNCB
The National Railway Company of Belgium, known as the or the Société Nationale des Chemins de fer Belges is the Belgian national railway operator.It is usually referred to in English as "Belgian Railways" or the SNCB....
employees called for more safety in their vehicles.
The Vlaams Belang
Vlaams Belang
Vlaams Belang is a Belgian far-right political party in the Flemish Region and Brussels that advocates the independence of Flanders and strict limits on immigration, whereby immigrants would be obliged to adopt Flemish culture and language...
, the largest opposition party, criticizes the fact that the incident is commonly referred to in the media as the bus incident and not murder. They say the "downplaying" of this incident of "violence by immigrant youths", is done because "the media are controlled and dictated by socialists and liberals". During Demoor's funeral on June 30, a 14-year old girl who witnessed the incident read a letter saying that "he was just a nice man trying to bring calm". His colleagues declared that Demoor was a calm and peace-loving man, and said to be outraged that he was being presented as the initial aggressor by some.