Camerawoman Petra Laszlo sentenced for kicking refugees
January 13, 2017
Petra Laszlo, who was filmed tripping up Syrian refugee children, is given three years probation for disorderly conduct.
Petra Laszlo was filmed delivering a roundhouse-style kick and tripping up refugees [Reuters]
A Hungarian camerawoman who caused global outrage after being filmed kicking and tripping up refugees near the country’s border with Serbia has been sentenced to three years’ probation for disorderly conduct.
Petra Laszlo, who appeared via video link at a court in the southern city of Szeged on Thursday, mounted a tearful defence and said she would appeal.
“It was all over within two seconds,” she said, adding she was acting out of panic and felt under attack. “Everybody was shouting, it was very frightening.”
The incident, which occurred in September 2015, went viral after footage of her actions was uploaded to Facebook.
The court was shown a frame-by-frame examination of her actions which included delivering a roundhouse-style kick to two people, including a young girl, as they fled from police.
Later, she tripped a 52-year-old Syrian refugee carrying a child.
