MEP Peter Pollák: I'm filing a motion with the Slovak Police Inspectorate over the intervention in the Romani community of Bardějov

According to MEP Peter Pollák, the recent police intervention against Romani residents of Bardějov, Slovakia raises many questions, and for that reason he has filed a motion with the Police Inspectorate to investigate the behavior of the officers involved. The intervention, involving dozens of officers, happened on Easter Sunday on Poštárka Street.

According to the police version of events, a two-man patrol was sent to the locality after complaints of public disturbance were made, and they were allegedly assaulted by approximately 50 locals. The residents, on the the other hand, say that the patrol officers intervened against a Romani man for not wearing a face mask in public in a brutal, disproportionate way.

“I have decided to file a motion not just with the Police Inspectorate, but also with the Interior Minister to investigate this intervention, which raises a great number of doubts,” the MEP said in a video posted to Facebook in which he reminded his followers that he had previously wanted each officer to be equipped with cameras in their uniforms that would be able to film all interventions. “If such a camera had been part of the police officers’ clothing in Bardějov, we would not have to be in doubt today as to whether their approach was lawful or not.”