Hungarian TV journalist fired for tripping, kicking refugees

A camerawoman for a private television channel in Hungary was fired late on Tuesday after videos of her kicking and tripping refugees fleeing police spread in the media and on the Internet.

In separate videos, the woman, later identified as Petra Laszlo, is seen kicking a girl and tripping a man carrying a child as hundreds of refugees, many of them from Syria, broke away from police on the Hungary-Serbia border.

"An employee of N1TV today showed unacceptable behavior at the Roszke collection point," N1TV, also known as Nemzeti TV, said in a statement. "We have terminated the contract of the camerawoman, with immediate effect today."

Szabolcs Kisberk, the chief editor at the channel, told Reuters, "I believe we have done what we had to do in this situation. We don't understand how this could happen. It is shocking and unacceptable."

Reuters was unable to reach Laszlo for comment. Hungary's right-wing government has taken a hard line on the flow of refugees across its borders en route to Western Europe, portraying them as a threat to European prosperity and Christian values.

N1TV runs a weekly talk show with Gabor Vona, the leader of the far-right, anti-immigration opposition party Jobbik, according to the channel's website.

The channel says it stands for "national issues."

Over 150,000 refugees, many of them fleeing conflicts in the Middle East, have been recorded entering Hungary so far this year. 

Police have been trying to round them up and register them, in line with European Union rules, but many refugees refuse, fearing that they will then be forced to stay in Hungary. 

Reuters