VIDEO: Hungarian policeman threatens English-speaking youths
A shocking incident in downtown Budapest has caught the attention of the public and authorities. A Hungarian policeman was captured on video threatening to stab a group of English-speaking youths in a popular party district.
Chilling threat on video
As reported by Blikk, the disturbing video footage that recently surfaced has raised serious concerns regarding the behaviour of law enforcement officers in the Hungarian capital. This incident took place in Budapest on Wednesday, 18th October, during the early hours of the morning near a 24-hour convenience store at the intersection of Kazinczy and Wesselényi streets. Two police officers approached the group of young people, although the reason for their intervention remains unclear.
A passerby’s brave response
In the video, one of the patrol officers is heard making a chilling threat to one of the young men, saying,
“I’ll catch you, I’ll stab you.”
These disturbing words left onlookers in utter disbelief.
A passerby, appalled by the officer’s language, began recording the incident and approached the uniformed officers. Confronted with the evidence of his own words, the policeman admitted that his threat was illegal. Nevertheless, he attempted to justify his actions by claiming that the young people were at fault due to their behaviour.
When the witness questioned the officer about his threat, he responded, “He misbehaved. You saw what he did?” The officer then demanded that the witness delete the recording, warning of “legal consequences” if he used the footage. Unfazed, the witness contacted the police, provided them with the video, and recounted the incident. Unfortunately, when the authorities arrived at the scene, the group of threatened individuals had already departed. The police officers who arrived said they could no longer address the situation and told the witness to go home.
However, the situation took another unsettling turn. The policeman who had issued the threat, accompanied by his partner, started to follow the witness again. Once again, they pressured him to delete the recording, intensifying concerns about the behaviour of law enforcement officers.
Calls for accountability
In response to this alarming incident, the Chief of Police in Budapest (BRFK) has ordered an immediate investigation into the actions of the threatening police officer, as reported by 444. This incident has ignited discussions about the conduct of law enforcement officers and the necessity for accountability when such incidents occur. Authorities are now under scrutiny to address this matter and restore public confidence in the Hungarian law enforcement system.
Source: Blikk
Yes, this police officer shouldn’t have said, I’ll stab you. But the officer was speaking in a second language. As we know, many officers hardly speak English. So in Hungarian he would have chosen other words.
Secondly, people like the so-called witness who recorded the video should accompany a few shifts in the night in Budapest and experience what these police officers have to deal with all night.
Not only the public becomes more aggressive, but the police is severely understaffed.
Police should increase the feeling of safety, not do the opposite. It would have a devastating effect on tourism if English speaking people have to be afraid of the Hungarian police. Who would want to visit Budapest then? Hopefully this is just a one-time incident and not a regular practice among Hungarian police.
The so-called police officer should seek new work behind the desk or change profession completely. If you can´t handle street patrolling and provide security for the public, ask for a transfer to administrative work. I hope in this case this so-called police officer will be ordered off from street patrolling duties.
What happened before this incident was filmed? In my country it took years before the left politicians agreed that the police in Brussels got body cams because of privacy reasons! Left politicians are against the police! This year there were more than 20 shootings in the capital of the EU most of them related with drugs! Some weeks ago we had the terrorist attack!? I suggest that all those left poko woko’s patrolled for one week with the police!
In Budapest, given the numbers of foreign residents and visitors, shouldn’t it be a basic requirements that police officers should be proficient in English, and be trained in how to deal with people who’ve been partying a little too hard, as is usually the case in this district? Why do they have to be so aggressive, instantly? Something The Mayor, or whoever is responsible for policing Budapest, should deal with quickly.
One has seen similar, a Hungarian youth getting roughed up in daylight i.e. kicked when being arrested, but being passive and not resisting. The beefed up & aggressive policeman’s own female partner was shouting at him to stop… Then he stormed over to a middle aged woman recording 20 metres away, think asked her if she was recording, she said no (but clearly was).
Whiff of entitlement, not following protocols and authoritarianism; see across society kicking sideways and down, but not up…. eg. Turkey, Russia, Serbia etc.