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Dutch police accused of brutalising international lawyer in racially motivated attack
An international lawyer has alleged she was “brutalised” by two Dutch police officers in a racially motivated attack that reportedly left her in hospital.Dutch police accused of brutalising international lawyer in racially motivated attack | The Independent
This is going to be interesting, I personally hope that the surveillance video is released so that we can see who is speaking the truth.
The views of the Hague police can be read here.
This is the thing that is most baffling for me when she wrote (this lawyer):
From what I read in the Dutch news media, who have seen the surveillance video the police has, shows the following:
1. she jaywalked (something especially a lawyer should know is not legal)
2. she not only jaywalked but ignored a red light when jaywalking
3. she was nearly hit by a city bus who had a green light, almost causing an accident
Those things any lawyer should know are "not only a crime/illegal but which are most certainly doing something wrong".
But then it comes to the behavior of the police, according to a group of journalists who were allowed to view the footage, these things could be seen when the police asked her for her identification (something that is what every person in the Netherlands has to be able to provide when summoned to do so by the police, usually for the giving of a ticket):
This is what is written in the AD (Dutch newspaper) who saw the video:
This is going to be really interesting she said, they said case (with one side having video evidence).
Again, I hope that the police puts the video online so that everybody can see it with their own eyes. But if this lady was telling the truth, the police will have to apologize to her and if she was not, it should be her who should be doing the apologizing.
PS. after she was brought to the police station, she was brought in front of an ADA (or the Dutch version of that) who told her she would be giving a ticket/charged with not being able to identify herself (so not even for the dangerous jaywalking), not for her resisting arrest (which the police themselves described as:
From the moment the officer grabbed her arm, she fiercely tries to resist arrest. The images show that the woman tries to pull away from the officers repeatedly. She also tries with her legs to trip up one of the officers while screaming at passing people to help her. Eventually the officers, who appear to remain calm and controlled, achieve to put on one handcuff. Because she keeps resisting several more minutes, the officers put her in the car with just one handcuff. Even in the car she keeps her fierce resistance and the officers ask (and get) for approval to take her in with police lights and sirens to take her in as soon as possible.
The entire incident, from the officers approaching her after her traffic offense and her being released takes one hour and twenty minutes in total.
An international lawyer has alleged she was “brutalised” by two Dutch police officers in a racially motivated attack that reportedly left her in hospital.Dutch police accused of brutalising international lawyer in racially motivated attack | The Independent
This is going to be interesting, I personally hope that the surveillance video is released so that we can see who is speaking the truth.
The views of the Hague police can be read here.
This is the thing that is most baffling for me when she wrote (this lawyer):
I kept explaining that I am an expat working at the Court, that I did not know that walking across the street was a crime, that I did not do anything wrong,
From what I read in the Dutch news media, who have seen the surveillance video the police has, shows the following:
1. she jaywalked (something especially a lawyer should know is not legal)
2. she not only jaywalked but ignored a red light when jaywalking
3. she was nearly hit by a city bus who had a green light, almost causing an accident
Those things any lawyer should know are "not only a crime/illegal but which are most certainly doing something wrong".
But then it comes to the behavior of the police, according to a group of journalists who were allowed to view the footage, these things could be seen when the police asked her for her identification (something that is what every person in the Netherlands has to be able to provide when summoned to do so by the police, usually for the giving of a ticket):
This is what is written in the AD (Dutch newspaper) who saw the video:
But on the video it can be seen that her arrest was very calm at first. Officers talk to the lady first from inside their car after she crossed through a red light. Laguerre does not respond to the officers and keeps walking. The woman does not seem to understand that she is very lucky that she was not flattened by the city bus. That bus has to brake harshly to avoid hitting her.
The officers are not intending to let her get away with ignoring them and drive backwards and stop several meters away to again to to her. They ask the woman for her identification but Laguerre makes no visible attempt to comply with the summons of the police. She does park her bike on the stand and tries to move away from the officers.
At that moment the officers take Laguerre into custody and try to cuff her. On the pictures one can see that Laguerre does not voluntarily comply with her arrest and that she tries to resist her arrest. The officers are not able to put both cuffs on and she is put in the car with just one handcuff. Contrary to her claims, her ankle was not slammed in the door because the video shows the door of the police car closes effortlessly.
This is going to be really interesting she said, they said case (with one side having video evidence).
Again, I hope that the police puts the video online so that everybody can see it with their own eyes. But if this lady was telling the truth, the police will have to apologize to her and if she was not, it should be her who should be doing the apologizing.
PS. after she was brought to the police station, she was brought in front of an ADA (or the Dutch version of that) who told her she would be giving a ticket/charged with not being able to identify herself (so not even for the dangerous jaywalking), not for her resisting arrest (which the police themselves described as:
From the moment the officer grabbed her arm, she fiercely tries to resist arrest. The images show that the woman tries to pull away from the officers repeatedly. She also tries with her legs to trip up one of the officers while screaming at passing people to help her. Eventually the officers, who appear to remain calm and controlled, achieve to put on one handcuff. Because she keeps resisting several more minutes, the officers put her in the car with just one handcuff. Even in the car she keeps her fierce resistance and the officers ask (and get) for approval to take her in with police lights and sirens to take her in as soon as possible.
The entire incident, from the officers approaching her after her traffic offense and her being released takes one hour and twenty minutes in total.