The camerawoman who drew international ire after viral videos of her kicking and tripping migrants crossing into Hungary from Serbia last month, says she plans to sue Facebook and one of the refugees she kicked.
Petra Laszlo, formerly of Hungarian Internet-based channel N1TV, told a Russian newspaper of her plans to sue Facebook for allegedly failing to take down threatening and negative pages on the social media site, according to an online translation of the Izvestia report.
One group, called the "Petra Laszlo Shame Wall," has more than 10,000 likes on Facebook.
The former camerawoman also said she plans to file a separate suit against Osama Abdul Mohsen, one of the Syrian refugees Laszlo tripped and caused to fall on his son. He has since settled in Madrid and found a job teaching at Spain's national football coaching academy, according to the Huffington Post.
Laszlo is facing a criminal case from Hungarian prosecutors and two opposition parties are seeking for her to serve prison time. The Guardian reports:
"The opposition parties Együtt-PM and the Democratic Coalition said that they would initiate charges of 'violence against a member of the community', which is punishable by up to five years in prison, against László."
Lage in #Roeszke #Hungary weiter schlimm - Polizei überfordert - Flüchtlinge durchbrechen Polizeikette - Verletzte! pic.twitter.com/GlMGqGwABb
— Stephan Richter (@RichterSteph) September 8, 2015
The ordeal unfolded in early September when hundreds of migrants pushed through a police line in Serbia and dashed across an open field in attempt to find safe haven elsewhere in Europe. Journalists were there to document the event.
As the Two Way reported last month, a German television journalist was there documenting the scene in Röszke when the tripping incident occurred.
"In a video that was filmed by German television journalist — Stephan Richter — the camerawoman is seen sticking her leg out to trip a man who was evading a policeman's outstretched arm. With a boy clinging to him, the man falls to the ground. He's then seen getting up, yelling.
"Announcing the firing, N1TV Editor in Chief Szabolcs Kisberk said his colleague 'behaved unacceptably in Röszke collection point.' "
She eventually did apologize for her role in the incident and said she only reacted in that way because she was scared.
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