Hungarian Journalist Fired Over Her Violent Treatment Of Refugees [Video]
A Hungarian journalist was fired on Tuesday for behavior some observers blame on the far-right sentiments of her former employers. According to USA Today, Petra László was let go after video footage surfaced that revealed her unprofessional treatment of fleeing Syrian refugees.
There is a high anti-refugee sentiment in Hungary at present, even though most of the refugees reportedly have no desire to stay in the country. The Hungarian authorities forced some refugees to remain at a makeshift camp near the country’s southern border with Serbia. Hungary said this was necessary to identify refugees before they move on to other locations in Europe.
Frustrated with their treatment and the camp’s cramped conditions, hundreds of refugees broke through police lines.
While there were various agencies on hand to record the unrest, only one journalist made headlines over her direct involvement in the fray. Petra was shown kicking at a fleeing girl. At one point, she tripped a man carrying a visibly terrified child. Reuters reports that there were multiple videos of the woman’s unethical actions. Curiously, her acts were edited out of footage released through her former employer, Nemzeti TV (N1TV). László, who worked for the TV channel as a camerawoman, was eventually identified by Hungarian news site 444.hu.
Shame: On this video former #N1 journalist Petra László kicks #refugees, among them children https://t.co/iDqLtqtNcI via @indexhu
— Balazs Csekö (@balazscseko) September 8, 2015
What immediately followed was international outrage and a major backlash. N1TV announced Wednesday it fired the journalist for her “unacceptable behavior.”
“An employee of N1TV today showed unacceptable behavior at the Roszke collection point. We have terminated the contract of the camerawoman with immediate effect today.”
Despite the swift action taken by N1TV, the private Hungarian news channel remains under scrutiny. The New York Times reports that the station has close ties with Hungary’s far-right Jobbik party. The party is known for its anti-immigration rhetoric. Party leader Gabor Vona hosts a weekly chat through the station.
Despite this, the station’s chief editor Szabolcs Kisberk claimed to be “shocked” by Petra’s actions. He told Reuters that he felt the network did what it “had to do” about the controversial journalist.
“We don’t understand how this could happen, it is shocking and unacceptable.”
Multiple news sources reached out to Petra László for a statement, but she has yet to respond. As for why the Hungarian journalist behaved in the manner she did, no one has determined an exact cause. The most popular theory is personal anti-immigration sentiments.
[Image Credit: Screen Grab From YouTube/RT]
