Two women involved in a violent incident with a police officer on the station square in Utrecht on Monday have announced their intention to file a complaint against the officer. Their lawyer, Anis Boumanjal, made this statement during an appearance on Nieuwsuur on Wednesday evening.
Bystander footage shows the officer grabbing one woman by her arm while another woman follows closely behind, filming with her phone. The officer then kicks her, and the video does not reveal any apparent justification for his actions. This escalates into a chaotic situation where the officer strikes the other woman with his baton. One of the women, a 23-year-old from De Koog, was subsequently arrested for insult.
“We recognize that these images are intense and raise questions. We take these reports seriously,” a police spokesperson said on Wednesday afternoon. The head of the police sector and the designated violence committee will review the officer’s actions.
Nuisance Incident
The women intend to report the officer for assault or attempted aggravated assault, as well as for violations of official conduct, according to Boumanjal.
According to the police, the incident followed disturbances caused by around twenty people in the area. However, Boumanjal claims his clients do not recognize this account. They assert that their altercation involved a discussion with another woman who posed no significant threat. The officer allegedly intervened, commanding the women to leave, but his tone was described as aggressive.
Boumanjal stated that the officer told the women to “thunder,” which led to a commotion and reportedly included racist remarks such as “you don’t belong in this country.” It remains unclear whether these statements were made by the officer, as Boumanjal’s account does not specify.
