NEWS

Probe into physical attack on Roma boy in Menidi

Probe into physical attack on Roma boy in Menidi

A prosecutor has ordered an investigation into an officer of the Dias police motorcycle unit after footage emerged showing him assaulting an 11-year-old Roma boy on Sunday in Menidi, western Attica, in what is being treated as a racially motivated attack.

The officer in question, as well as three colleagues who were present at the time but did nothing to stop him, appeared before a prosecutor on Monday.

In a statement, police said the officers have been suspended and that an internal investigation has been launched.

“Such behavior is completely condemned and we cannot tolerate it,” Police Chief Lieutenant General Michalis Karamalakis told reporters, while Citizens’ Protection Minister Michalis Chrysochoidis said in a tweet on Monday that “whoever hits minors has no place anywhere.”

The footage recorded by a security camera on a nearby building showed the officer stopping the 11-year-old and a friend and slapping him after what appeared to be an argument. 

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