We serve and beat: Christening with some tear gas
Around 9 p.m. on a Saturday night in the beginning of September 2010 a christening feast was dispersed in Tiszalúc (Hungary) by three cars of policemen using batons and tear gas, pleading the breach of the peace. The policemen had no mercy even on children. This case – presented within our series “We serve and beat” – is an outstanding example of police brutality and undue and unlawful police actions against the Roma.
The violation of law was committed not only by the policemen taking action: according to the statements of the concerned people, the physician in attendance did not attend them; in addition, the police station at Tatkaharkány (village in Hungary) “informed” them through the mayor about the denial of the possibility to denounce the policemen. The procedure came to pass according the accustomed script: following the police brutality, the maltreated people were taken to the police station but were not interrogated there and minutes were not taken, either; then, „naturally” proceedings were started against the aggrieved party charged of violence against officials. Hungarian Civil Liberties Union has latched on to the incident, besides providing legal defence, also representing the aggrieved party in proceedings against the police.
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