Extract from article originally published on The Guardian, 17 June 2020 – accessible here
A black MEP has said she was a victim of police violence at the hands of Belgian officers, on the day the European parliament debated anti-racism protests sparked by the killing of George Floyd.
Pierrette Herzberger-Fofana, Germany’s first MEP of African origin, told the European parliament that she had suffered a humiliating experience at the hands of Belgian police.
The MEP said she was leaving the Gare du Nord in Brussels on Tuesday when she saw nine police officers “harassing” two black youths. She decided to film the incident, she said, but then found herself brutally pushed against the wall by four of the officers, and her phone wrenched out of her hands.
“They grabbed my handbag from me, pushed me against the wall, spread my legs and one of the police officers wanted to frisk me. And they dealt with me in a very humiliating way,” the 71-year old former teacher said.