After 17 years, Hans Van Themsche is given the floor in a new documentary series

“I saw a woman sitting there, wearing a headscarf. At that moment I aimed. And shot.”

On October 10, 2007, Hans Van Themsche was sentenced to life in prison by the Antwerp assize court for a gruesome double murder and attempted murder, with racism as an aggravating motive. In a new documentary series at Play4, Hans Van Themsche (35) says in tears that he cannot understand what he did in Antwerp in 2006. “Am I a racist? Not anymore today, no.”

His racist intentions were clear to the jury at the time. Van Themsche himself admitted that he was looking for immigrants. During a house search, investigators even found a dagger with the disturbing inscription ‘Blut und Ehre’, a Nazi slogan. He inherited this artefact, together with a copy of ‘Mein Kampf’ by Adolf Hitler, from his grandfather, a former eastern frontier.

In the revealing documentary, his mother refutes the idea that Van Themsche grew up in a racist family: “That was completely wrong. The values ​​and norms we passed on to our children were certainly not extreme right. Tolerance, forbearance, respecting everyone in their uniqueness: that was important.”

Van Themsche himself points to his school days in Wilrijk as a source of his disgust: “I was bullied there. Two guys threatened me and pushed me into a toilet. They locked me in there, and they started pounding on that door. That was very scary. Because I have claustrophobia. That had a major impact at that time. I no longer felt comfortable at school. I was afraid of immigrants.”

In the documentary, former investigating judge Karel Van Cauwenberghe – who led the investigation in 2006 – visits Van Themsche in prison. He wants to know whether Van Themsche’s sadness and regret are genuine, and the gruesome images of the victims are still in his mind.

A fragment:

From Themsche: “I was just completely numb. I knew what I had done. But I didn’t realize its impact at all. I passed on that responsibility. I had no emotions for the victims at the time.”

Van Cauwenberghe: “And then… that child. Do you realize that a child is being shot there?”

From Themsche: (still)

Van Cauwenberghe: “That racist aspect. Why was that important?”

From Themsche: “It was rather the question: Who do I like least? Because I had bad experiences with them, I decided I would target them.”

Van Cauwenberghe: “Do you realize that is also racism?”

From Themsche: “Yes. Is there a racist motive in the facts? Yes. But am I a racist myself? I do not think so. Not at the moment, no. Ultimately, you meet many people of foreign origin in prison. And ultimately you also have positive experiences with them. These were people who still wanted to speak to me. Who still wanted to get to know me. Who could see further than just my act. This has ensured that I do not just look at origins. I still regularly think about the facts. That’s something that carries you along. You wake up with it and you go to sleep with it. I have to live with that. The victims have to live with that.”

Van Cauwenberghe: “You do realize that this interview may come across as an attempt to gain understanding for what happened?”

From Themsche: “What I want to do here is certainly not to minimize the facts. I certainly don’t want to justify it or introduce myself better. This is who I am now, good or bad.”

‘True Crime Belgium: Hans Van Themsche’ can now be seen on Streamz and weekly on Play4 and GoPlay from January 9.

Foto: screenshot Play4