More journalists at Röszke say Hungarian Police beat them

Christian Keszthelyi

Polish, Slovak and an Australian journalists were beaten and arrested by Hungarian Police while covering clashes between police and refugees at Röszke on the Serbian border yesterday, index.hu reports. A Swiss journalist also reported today that he was beaten by Hungarian Police during the clashes, adding to yesterdayʼs complaint by three members of a Serbian TV crew.

The text over the wheel in the Hungarian police car reads: ʼWe serve and protectʼ. (Photo: LaMography/Moni Lazar)

The Polish Embassy told index.hu that a Polish journalist was pushed by the crowd from Serbia into Hungary yesterday when refugees were trying to enter Hungary en masse, and the journalist was hit in the head by the Hungarian Police with a baton, despite shouting “Press! Press!”. According to index.hu, when the journalist asked to be helped back to Serbia, the Hungarian Police put the journalist under arrest, briefly, on a charge of “attempted illegal border crossing”.



Hungarian online daily valasz.hu reported that an Australian photo journalist, who had previously worked for valasz.hu as well, was kicked in the head, the leg and chest by the Hungarian police. The Australian journalist has a Hungarian wife and a Hungarian son, valasz.hu said.

It was reported yesterday that the Prime Minister of Serbia demanded an explanation after a Serbian TV news team covering the altercations at the border were also beaten by the Hungarian police.

A Swiss journalist who said he was beaten by Hungarian Police at Röszke yesterday tweeted a picture of his bloody clothes and microphone, index.hu reported.

Questioned by index.hu, the Hungarian Police said that no journalists were taken into custody.

Government spokesperson Zoltán Kovács said this morning that it was surprising to see that journalists were in the front row of the riot in Röszke yesterday, index.hu reported. Kovács reportedly said that journalists should not be present in such places for the sake of their own safety. He said that no journalists are in custody, and that three photographers are facing legal proceedings, but they have been released and are free as they await court proceedings.