New complaints will be filed by Grace T., the victim of a violent intervention by Securail on 8 August at Brussels North station, in addition to one filed on Friday for assault and battery against a Securail agent, her lawyer, Selma Benkhelifa, announced at a press conference on Wednesday.
Ms. Benkhelifa specified that the complaints will also target a second officer who was present and the train conductor, whose racist remarks allegedly fuelled the officers' aggression. The aggravating circumstance of racist motivation will be added, she said.
A complaint by a second woman, who has returned to Norway, was still being processed.
Lawyer urges training against racism and violence
The lawyer is also calling for mediation with the SNCB to clarify the facts and to request the implementation of training to prevent racism and violence.
Brenda Odimba, spokesperson for the citizens' collective supporting the victims, emphasised the need to protect Grace T. from the media coverage of the case and the psychological trauma she has suffered.
The victim was unable to attend Wednesday's press conference after suffering an anxiety attack before she was due to speak. She was reported to be deeply affected by her experience and by the dissemination of hateful content on social media.
Public Prosecutor's Office announces investigation
According to the Public Prosecutor's Office, blows were allegedly struck by one of the Securail officers and by another person involved in the incident.
“On 8 August, Securail officers intervened at Brussels North station against people who were unable to present valid tickets,” said Laura Demullier, spokesperson for the Public Prosecutor's Office.
“During this intervention, blows were allegedly exchanged: one by a person involved, the other by a Securail agent,” Demullier said.”The Brussels Public Prosecutor's Office has opened two cases for assault and battery: one against the person involved, the other against the Securail agent.”
In the interests of the investigation, no further information will be released by the public prosecutor's office at this time.
'This isn't Norway, we're in Belgium'
A video circulating since the weekend showed two officers violently pinning a mother and her sister, two Norwegian women of Congolese origin, to the ground. They had been accused of being in possession of false documents and not having valid travel documents.
The daughter of one of the victims has since told Sudinfo daily that the two women had valid travel documents and authentic passports. She denounced a "gratuitous humiliation" and reported that one of the officers had said to the two women, “This isn't Norway, we're in Belgium!”
According to Attorney Benkhelifa, the incident occurred on 8 August at Vilvoorde Station, where three women in their thirties, forties and fifties were trying to buy train tickets from a ticket machine. All three were of Congolese origin. One, a civil servant, lives in Belgium and has four children at university. She has a train pass. The other two were relatives visiting Belgium and wanted to buy tickets before boarding.
Abuse of power
However, the ticket machine at Vilvoorde station was out of order. One of the women reported the fault to the conductor and explained that she wanted to buy tickets on board. According to her, the conductor refused, Ms Benkhelifa explained.
Once on the train, as the conductor did not go to her, the passenger bought tickets online, but no one came to check the tickets or the train pass at that time, she explained.
When they arrived at Gare du Nord, Securail agents boarded the train and were very aggressive, said the victims' lawyer, who denounced the “abuse of power” by the agents in checking passports. The passengers were ordered to get off the train. They were pushed, and one of them started screaming because she was scared, Ms Benkhelifa explained. “She found herself lying face down on the floor and was told, 'I'm going to rip your arm off',’"added the lawyer, whose client was then handcuffed and held down until the police arrived.
The Norwegian passports were found to be genuine. However, the police issued two reports. One against the Securail agent for assault and battery and another against Grace T for rebellion, which Ms Benkhelifa's client disputes. “When she pushed me, I put my hands up because I was scared,” Grace T. explained to her lawyer. As an asthmatic, she was afraid and thought of George Floyd, the African American man who died after being held down by a police officer for nine minutes.
Demonstration on Friday
For the lawyer, this is a case of violence aggravated by racist behaviour. Contact would be made with UNIA, as well as with the Norwegian Embassy, she said.
In response to the incident, a demonstration is planned for Friday in front of Brussels Central Station. It is being organised by the citizens' collective that supports the women involved and is calling for an independent investigation, a public apology from the SNCB and the immediate suspension of the Securail agents involved.
On Wednesday evening, the SNCB stated that it “deeply regrets this incident” and that it “takes it very seriously.” It also announced the launch of an internal investigation into the exact facts and circumstances of the incident. Depending on the results of this investigation, appropriate measures will be taken, the company said.
