A video of a police officer in Nivelles, just outside of Brussels, striking a handcuffed woman in the face and forcefully pushing her into a police van went viral over the weekend. Now, the town's mayor announced that an internal investigation was launched.
The video, which has been shared across multiple social media platforms and has over 400,000 views on Facebook alone, shows three officers attempting to place the woman inside a police vehicle in the Nivelles-Genappe police zone.
The woman, who has her hands cuffed behind her back, refuses to enter the vehicle despite being ordered to do so. When she turns towards one of the officers, he slaps her across the face before forcefully pushing her into the van. Two female officers can be seen standing nearby during the incident.
Nivelles Mayor Bernard De Ro (Les Engagés), who also heads the local police district, announced on Monday that an internal investigation into the incident has now been opened. The investigation will establish the circumstances surrounding the incident, including what happened before the footage was recorded and why the officer used force against a person who did not appear to pose a threat at the time.
Divided internet
The Public Prosecutors Office stressed that people should not form opinions about the incident solely based on the footage circulating online, since the full circumstances surrounding the incident have not been established.
“An investigation that begins on social media is not conducive to a thorough inquiry. Anyone who believes they are a victim of or a witness to police violence can contact the Comité P, an independent body authorised to handle such complaints,” they told Belga News Agency.
It is currently unknown why the woman was detained and if any additional circumstances preceded the confrontation.
The incident has the internet divided. Some believe the officer responded appropriately to the woman's refusal to enter the vehicle, with one commenter stating "if she didn’t say or do anything wrong this wouldn’t have happened". Others believe the officer was abusing his power with another commenter stating he is a "sick person abusing his power".
The identities of the woman and the three officers involved in the incident are currently unknown, as their faces are blurred in the footage that’s been made publicly available.
