Teen boy will be prosecuted for hitting far-right leader Baudet with a beer bottle

The Public Prosecution Service will put a 16-year-old boy on trial on suspicion of using a beer bottle to strike politician Thierry Baudet. The boy, who was 15 at the time of the incident, is suspected of attempting to seriously injure the Forum voor Democratie (FvD) party leader when he hit Baudet in the head at a Groningen café in November.

Baudet was attacked during a campaign event days before the 2023 election to determine members of the Tweede Kamer, the lower house of Dutch Parliament. Baudet suffered a head wound from the blow.

A Public Prosecution Service spokesperson confirmed the boy will be prosecuted after it was first reported by RTV Noord. Because the case concerns a minor, it will be handled behind closed doors. This will happen in the autumn of 2024, prosecutors said.

There is also a second suspect in the case. It is said to be the boy's twin brother who could also be prosecuted. The Public Prosecution Service has yet to decide what will happen to his case.

Neither of the two suspects are in custody.

It also became clear on Saturday that a 33-year-old Ukrainian accused of hitting Baudet with an umbrella in Belgium will not be prosecuted. That attack was in October, when Baudet visited to give a lecture in Ghent. The politician suffered a mild concussion, the FvD said.

The Ukrainian will receive a warning, and a form of probation ordering him not to violate terms by committing additional criminal offenses in the near future.

Baudet responded angrily about the situation on Instagram, saying he is not being protected by the law. "This is madness. The justice system is broken," he said