The Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld a €250 fine for a man in his 20s who called a police officer a mierenneuker or ant-fucker, a term used in popular speech to describe people who stick obsessively to the rules.

However, a year ago, the same court ruled the word was not an insult to police officers and that the circumstances it is used in are crucial, the NRC reported.

In that case, the man called the policeman a mierenneuker for throwing away his can of beer. His acquittal in the supreme court led to questions in parliament.

The current case involves a man in his 20s whose moped was being inspected at a police check point.

According to the NRC, he called the officer a mierenneuker three times. The officer felt his good name was being damaged by the insults because other youths were present and arrested him. In this case, the court ruled the officer had been insulted and upheld the fine.