AN INSPECTION conducted by the Interior Ministry has ruled that a police officer from the eastern Slovak village of Jarovnice did not have a racial motive in refusing to give his hand to Roma reporter Denisa Havrľová, but instead that "his behaviour was justified in the interest of protecting his safety and health". The policeman admits having asked Havrľová if she had a "hygiene certificate", but says the question was not motivated by her race.
