Hungary: Female journalist who kicked refugee gets 3-year suspended sentence

TV journalist Petra Laszlo - who tripped a father carrying a baby and kicked a fleeing refugee - has been given a three-year suspended sentence for disturbing public order.

The scene of a female Hungarian TV journalist tripping and causing a refugee father and son to fall has caused outrage in the online community. Source: Youtube

The incident happened at the Hungarian-Serbian border in 2015, when a flood of Middle Eastern refugees were running away from the police. They were scared. They were carrying bags. They were holding small children. They were struggling to find a better life. Along with many other colleagues, journalist Laszlo was there to work, in her case, to film.

However, to the shock of many, including the victim, she tripped a father carrying a small child, causing both of them to fall. The father struggled to get up, looking at the female journalist with eyes filled with fear and anger.

Because it was a location where many journalists were working, the scene of Ms. Laszlo then continuing to kick the legs of other refugees, including a little girl, was easily captured on camera.

Father and son fell to the ground after being tripped by a Hungarian female television journalist. Photo: Reuters

BBC quoted Laszlo as saying that she was "so scared" by the sight of the people rushing towards her that she acted like that. When she first started filming, the refugees were still under police control; but then many people suddenly jumped over the fence and fled towards Hungary, which is also where she was standing. She also said that after the clip of her kicking the refugees went viral, she received death threats and became the target of a hate campaign.

However, Hungarian judge Illes Nanasi concluded on January 12 that the journalist's behavior was against social morality, rejecting her lawyer's argument that she was only trying to defend herself.

Laszlo said he would appeal.

Meanwhile, N1TV, where Laszlo worked, fired her shortly after the clip went viral on social media.

According to TNO