NOVANEWS
“My husband wants to prove my innocence. For him, it is now a matter of honor.”
By Mashable
Footage shows a videographer tripping a man and child fleeing police in Hungary on September 8, 2015.
A Hungarian camerawoman who was fired after shocking video emerged of her intentionally tripping refugees says she plans to sue Facebook and one of the refugees she kicked.
The footage of Petra Laszlo enraged the international community when it surfaced in early September and eventually led to her firing from Hungarian broadcaster N1, which said she “behaved unacceptably.”
Laszlo said that once her criminal trial is over, she intends to file the two lawsuits, according to an interview with Russian newspaper Izvestia.
Laszlo told Izvestia that she plans to sue Facebook for allegedly refusing to remove threatening groups on the site while deleting groups that supported her. She has also directed her anger towards Osama Abdul Mohsen, one of the Syrian refugees she kicked, and says she plans to sue him.
“He changed his testimony, because he initially blamed the police,” Laszlo said, though she can be clearly seen in two different videos kicking him. “My husband wants to prove my innocence. For him, it is now a matter of honor.”
The fiasco took place near the Hungarian border village of Röszke on Sept. 8 as migrants and refugees rushed through a police cordon and past journalists, including Laszlo. Many of those rushing across the border were Syrian refugees, attempting to travel through Hungary and into Western Europe.
Another journalist standing nearby captured video of Laszlo, who can be seen below intentionally tripping Mohsen as he ran with his small son clutched in his arms; he fell to the ground face first and his child tumbled into the grass. Another clip shows Laszlo kicking two others, including a child.
Laszlo kept her own camera rolling as she kicked Mohsen. He can be heard by a police officer clearly shouting, “Baby, baby, baby,” making it clear he is carrying a child.
She later apologized for her actions. She claims her behavior was a result of fear.
In her interview with Izvestia, Laszlo added she wants to relocate her family to Russia because they feel threatened in Hungary.
“We consider Russia and we think that we will begin to learn Russian,” Laszlo told the paper. “For us it is important to leave Hungary. We will decide after the trial.”
