Illustrative image. (source: TASR)
A police officer allegedly assaulted Roma children at a primary school in Stráne pod Tatrami, a village near Kežmarok in eastern Slovakia, in mid-February. This accusation emerged following a video posted on social media by politician Peter Pollák (Slovensko) on Thursday, February 27.
In the video, children aged 11 to 13 describe being slapped by a police officer from Kežmarok, with one child even claiming to have been kicked in his leg. Former MEP Pollák, who has previously served as the government plenipotentiary for the Roma community, recorded the children’s testimonies and brought their families to Bratislava to highlight the case.
“It is absolutely unacceptable for any police officer to beat children, regardless of whether they are Roma or not,” Pollák stated, emphasising that if the allegations are proven true, it would be unprecedented, and the officer must be held accountable.
On Monday, March 3, the Slovensko movement filed a criminal complaint against the officer involved, believing that both the school and the local authorities failed in their duty.
The alleged attack took place behind closed doors on February 13.
The school’s headmaster, Dagmar Wagnerová, spoke to Denník N and confirmed that she only learned about the police presence from a colleague after the Kežmarok police had arrived at the school. The police had not informed her in advance.
The school is located just outside the village, within a secluded Roma community that makes up 95 percent of Stráne pod Tatrami’s population. All the students attending the school are Roma.
