Jan Fabre receives suspended sentence for workplace harassment and assault

An Antwerp court has issued an 18-month suspended sentence to Belgian artist and choreographer Jan Fabre following his conviction for workplace bullying, violence, and assault. The verdict specifically found him guilty of offenses against five women who worked with him, including one forced kiss. Fabre was acquitted of six additional charges, among them allegations that he pressured dancers into sexual relationships through a 'no sex, no solo' policy. The legal proceedings, which lasted three years, were initiated by the Auditorat du travail d'Anvers labor tribunal after a 2018 letter from members of Fabre's Troubleyn troupe detailed a culture of daily humiliation and sexist criticism targeting women's bodies. Representing the accusers, An-Sofie Raes described the ruling as a significant milestone that acknowledges a pattern of misconduct. In addition to the suspended sentence, Fabre was ordered to pay each victim symbolic compensation of €1. The artist, known for provocative early works like his 1970s 'Money' performance and the 1982 eight-hour theater piece 'This is theatre like it was to be expected and foreseen', had denied all wrongdoing, claiming the kiss was consensual.