Three days after the Tour, the outrage over the beer throwers on the Oude Kwaremont has not cooled down. The investigation is ongoing. “We certainly take it seriously,” says Chief of Police Joost Duhamel. “As a beer thrower you may think that it is not easy to be found in such a crowd. Yet. We have several witnesses. People who have seen it happen and who are not okay with this behavior. We receive videos, and we also actively search for images of the perpetrators. A member of our force is now working on this full-time and there are already results.”
In a video that is making the rounds, a young man can be clearly seen throwing beer at Van der Poel. “One person is clearly in the picture,” says Duhamel. “My feeling is that we will find the perpetrators.” Anyone who threw beer and feels remorse can report it. “With us in Oudenaarde or at another police station.”
It’s not just the police who take the beer throwers seriously. To put a stop to the phenomenon, which has now become a true plague in cycling, the riders’ union BPCA has now also filed a complaint with civil proceedings.
“As a beer thrower you may think that it is not easy to be found in such a crowd. Yet. We have several witnesses”
Joost Duhamel
Chief of local police
For the layman: the BPCA represents all Belgian professional cyclists, is recognized by the UCI and represents their interests. By filing civil proceedings, the association forces an investigation. Their demarche makes it very clear that they are stopping this trend. And as quickly as possible.
“There was also a lot of talk about it,” said Bert Scheirlinckx at BPCA. “It shouldn’t just blow over. By filing us as a civil party, an investigating judge must be appointed and we will also be kept informed of the investigation. We want action to be taken against those who spoil the atmosphere for everyone. And that if they have committed criminal offenses, they will also be punished for that,” Scheirlinckx concludes. “It cannot continue like this. The International Professional Cycling Association (CPA, ed.) is fully behind us.”
Race organizer Flanders Classics is also fed up with the rowdy and unsportsmanlike behavior of some spectators. If the beer throwers are identified, “we will file civil proceedings,” CEO Tomas Van Den Spiegel said earlier. The organization can then claim damages in court.
Hits and wounds
So no one involved takes the facts laconicly. Given the danger posed by such unsportsmanlike behavior, the police say this could constitute ‘assault and injury’. The crime of assault and battery can be punished with a fine of up to several hundred euros and, if necessary, even a prison sentence, which is admittedly very unlikely in this case.
Tags: beer thrower recognizable picture Oude Kwaremont association professional cyclists files complaint witnesses videos Kluisbergen
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