Hungarian Camerawoman Who Tripped Refugee Prepares To Sue Him After Her Own Trial

The Hungarian camerawoman who made waves a few months ago when video footage of her intentionally tripping fleeing migrants was released will be back in the headlines soon. Petra Laszlo was fired from her job following the release of the videos and now says she plans to bring a lawsuit against one of those same refugees as well as against Facebook for the wrong she claims they have done to her.

Lage in #Roeszke #Hungary weiter schlimm – Polizei überfordert – Flüchtlinge durchbrechen Polizeikette – Verletzte! pic.twitter.com/GlMGqGwABb

— Stephan Richter (@RichterSteph) September 8, 2015

The videos of Laszlo kicking and tripping the migrants on September 8, in the chaos that surrounded their bid for freedom, sparked international outrage last month. Television station N1TV subsequently fired the camerawoman following the viral video and took a public stance against her saying she “behaved unacceptably.” The Hungarian will also stand trial in December for her actions as a breach of the peace suit is against her. However, Petra Laszlo seems to be prepared to go down kicking and screaming, and intends to bring a suit of her own once her criminal trial is over. According to an interview she did with Russian newspaper Izvestia, translated by Mashable, she actually plans to bring two suits, one against the social network giant Facebook, and the other against Osama Abdul Mohsen, who was the father that was tripped as he was running with his toddler.

The former camerawoman says that her reason for suing Facebook is because they allegedly refused to remove the threatening groups that were set up in stance against her, while actively deleting those that showed support for her. The New York Daily News says that one of the Facebook groups, called Petra Laszlo Shame Wall, has over 10,000 likes, and it was found that another group which labels her a terrorist has amassed similar numbers.

https://www.facebook.com/PetraLaszloShame/photos/a.873368382698550.1073741828.873364239365631/890564050978983/?type=3&theater

The anger she has for the Syrian refugee is because she claims Osama Abdul Mohsen changed his testimony. It seems to matter very little to the disgraced camerawoman that the father can clearly be seen cursing her after she initially trips him, as caught on video by another camerawoman who also caught the moment Laszlo stuck her foot out to bring down the refugee.

“He changed his testimony, because he initially blamed the police. My husband wants to prove my innocence. For him, it is now a matter of honor.”

In addition to the video of Mohsen and his son being tripped — the 52-year-old fell on his 7-year-old son when they fell face first after Laszlo tripped him — there was also another clip that showed the camerawoman kicking two other refugees. Following the incident, Mohsen had given an interview where he mentioned that a policeman had previously tripped his son and that was why he had been running with the boy in his arms when the second incident occurred. The Syrian has since safely arrived in Spain with his family, and the coverage led to the father earning a coaching job in the country after it was learned he coached soccer in Syria.

The Hungarian camerawoman who kicked a refugee plans to sue him https://t.co/pA55VtMsx2 pic.twitter.com/YpXwNraCQG

— The Independent (@Independent) October 21, 2015

Following the incident, Laszlo had apologized for her actions and claimed that she had acted out of fear, not maliciousness. She said she was overwhelmed by the numbers of fleeing refugees and was not a “heartless, racist, children-kicking camerawoman.”

The Hungarian told the Russian newspaper that it is the intention of her and her family to move abroad once the trial is over. Petra Laszlo stated that there is no future for her in Hungary any longer and would also feel much safer in Russia, which she and her family are considering as a destination.

Unfortunately, for those plans to move to another country or even to file her lawsuits, if the former camerawoman is found guilty at her trial she can be convicted with heavy penalties that could involve a prison sentence of up to five years.

[Photo Courtesy of Joseph Lago/ Getty Images]