Hungary charges camerawoman accused of tripping migrants
Prosecutors have charged a camerawoman accused of kicking and tripping refugees fleeing Serbia with disorderly conduct. The charges come as Hungary prepares to vote on whether it should host refugees.
Prosecutors in Hungary have filed charges against a camerawoman accused of kicking and tripping refugees who were fleeing from police near the Serbian border last year.
The charges of disorderly conduct come as political tensions mount over Europe's plans to settle migrants.
"While filming she kicked a young man in the shin with a swift kick of the sole of her right foot, and also kicked young girl around the knee with her right foot," the prosecutors said in a statement
Petra Laszlo, was fired from her position as a camerawoman N1TV after a video of the incident went viral.
[Video] Hungarian TV camerawoman, Petra Laszlo, seen kicking refugee children, tripping father carrying a child pic.twitter.com/Kae8lDDWKZ
— Times of Ahmad (@AhmadiyyaTimes) September 8, 2015
The charges comes amid rising anti-migrant sentiments in Hungary.
Hungarians will vote on October 2 to decide whether to accommodate allotted migrant quota of 1,294 refugees or face a fine of $340 million, imposed by the European Union for not complying.
Laszlo hasn't officially commented regarding the recent charges, but last year she showed remorse in a statement to the daily Magyar Nemzet.
Police found that Laszlo was not responsible for tripping a man carrying a small child.
"[Laszlo] kicked toward a man carrying a child in his hands, but the kick did not reach the man. The man carrying the child still fell, because one of the policemen tried to catch and restrain him, and he lost his balance as he broke free," prosecutors said.