Is it allowed for Hungarian police officers to kneel on someone’s neck?
The death of George Floyd shook the United States and protests against racism and for the rights of the black community have been going on since then. On May 25, 2020, a white American police officer, Derek Chauvin, knelt on Floyd’s neck for almost nine minutes. Floyd kept begging for his life (“I can’t breath”) but died.
Read alsoFuneral honors George Floyd, Americans demand racial justice
Index reported that, while all this has happened in the United States of America, one could ask, what if an incident like that occurred in Hungary with a police officer kneeling on someone’s neck. Is the action allowed, or is it not? What consequences would it have?
After doing some research, it seems that a Hungarian police officer is allowed to kneel on somebody’s neck, but the circumstances, the location and the duration of the procedure matters.
In Hungary, it is written in the law that under certain circumstances, Hungarian police officers are allowed to take violent actions. Still, they are obliged not to overreact. If the officers can solve a case or situation without physical intervention, then they have no choice but to stick to it. For this reason, if a case could have been solved without violence, but a police officer would still act violently, facing punishment would be inevitable.
In other cases, there are certain moments when someone who is caught or must be arrested denies acting according to the police’s orders. In these cases, the officers are allowed to use violent acts to proceed and to avoid themselves and others from getting hurt.
During such cases, police officers need to be prepared to act violently as the criminals might have weapons. This is the reason why officers arrive with massive forces to protect themselves when arresting particular criminals. It is important to emphasise that police officers do not use violence to harm the criminals but aim to calm them down and to make them understand that they are stronger, so the criminal should obey orders.
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The reason for police-violence is to avoid attacks, escape and self-harm. This means that in some cases, a police officer might be allowed to kneel on a criminals’ neck for a certain amount of time. The aim of this action is only to make the criminal harmless and not to hurt them physically.
To sum up, Hungarian police officers are allowed to use physical violence but are not allowed to be cruel and aggressive. The aim of force is only to calm the criminals down and to avoid them from escaping. If a case can be solved without violent acts, then police officers are obliged to act without those.
If Hungarian officers cross the line and harm criminals, although not necessary, they have to face the court and might be discharged from the Hungarian police forces.
Featured image: MTI/Budapest/Hungary
Source: www.index.hu
What a Can of Worms or Pandora’s Box – this article could and should draw comments and opinions relating to Policing Powers.
We should focus on – what under law – the powers of policing currently state can be used – there reasons for use and under what circumstances, clearly defined, heavier tactics of restraint can be used by Police Officers.
Personally, the restraint by means of a knee to a HUMAN HEAD or NECK – by a fellow human being – Police Office or whoever, appalls and nauseate me.
Hungary, we will not be engulfed in a catastrophic MESS that we know is taking place in America presently, the widening divide, it is causing, the re-opening of old painful wounds, over decades or centuries, – pain sorrow and grief, the death of a Human being – the circumstances and actions undertaken by a Police Officer.
It’s a fine line – that regrettable has in the past, been abused by Policing Officers, using tactics of restraint that are outside the Legal Guidelines or Wording, that permits Heavier Human Restraint.
There are SMARTER HUMAN WAYS – either by improved Human Communication techniques or electronic devices – that Calm or sedate – a fellow human being, rather than kneeing tramping there necks and skulls into Mother Earth.
My position is not – Softly Softly not Gently Gently – NO.
We need, as a Society, to have firm law enforcing officers, who in there broad job descriptions, principally are there to ensure we live in a Safe and Law abiding Community and Country.
Brutality and Aggression – lack of respect for the applicable law governing violence, in its handling, we must ensure EVERYONE knows and Understands – the Do’s and the Do Not’s of actions that can be undertaken, against a fellow human being by Police or other parties that have powers to enforce the Word and Rules of Law.
Harper Lee wrote the masterful novel – To Kill a Mockingbird – published in 1960.
The read of this novel, to summarize it’s POTENT message, rests in (2) two words.
Those (2) two words are :
(1) – Tolerance
(2) – Compassion.
America – what is further needed as a wake up call – they have a Racial Widening Divide.
The widespread Horrendous Problems that 331 million Americans are faced with, going forward, in a Presidential election year, with the 45th elected President of the United States of America, prepared to set his armed forces against his own People, the incompetent individual Donald. J. Trump is, sending America rapidly into an abyss, what will – HEAL- the horrendous magnitude broadsheet problems, the World is seeing to-day occurring in America.
This novel coronavirus pandemic, which will result in excess of 200 thousand deaths of Americans, in a Country that is Fragmented – Divided – without Leadership, that will result in a recession and rising unemployment, social hardship in the 50 states, that make up -America.
America – has been ignorant – dismissive and arrogant of it’s own History – never Learnt from it’s History, to find it-self, of it’s own creation and doing, the position it finds it-self to-day – a SHAMBLES.
The matter is quite simple. If the police arrest you, cooperate. Do not fight them or try to escape.
Additionally, do not take drugs like fentanyl and commit crimes like using counterfeit money….then fighting the police when they try to arrest you.
You have rights and if you are arrested wrongly, you can sue the police. But if you lie about not being able to breathe in order to create a chance for escape, I do not have much sympathy for you.
George Floyd had many drugs in his system and died of heart failure, not lack of air. If he would have not resisted a legitimate arrest (using counterfeit money), he would be alive today.
It is that simple.
This biggest cause of death for black males in the US is black males shooting black males in the thousands vs police in the hundreds and thousands more being shot daily. If it was not for the police numbers would double – we saw that the Ferguson event and town – the cop was found not guilty by the Obama justice department and the town was destroyed. 800,000 cops in the US only 9 unarmed black were killed in 2019 and were investigated or went to jail. Last week -80 people were shot and 18 dead in 24 hours and that’s just chicago and it hardly makes the news. Most blk killers are never charged and no one speaks up because they know they will be next.