Dutch police face backlash after pregnant woman manhandled at asylum centre

THE HAGUE: Dutch police are facing mounting criticism after video footage showing officers manhandling a heavily pregnant woman at an asylum seekers’ centre in the town of Zeist spread widely on social media.

The incident took place on May 19 and drew wider attention over the weekend after the videos circulated online. According to Dutch outlet RTV Utrecht, the footage shows an officer forcefully pulling the woman by the arm, causing her to fall to the ground. The video was recorded inside an asylum seekers’ centre.

After the woman was dragged to the ground, the same footage showed a man, identified in reports as her husband, attacking the officer. Media reports said the couple had been speaking to police after officers were called over a disturbance complaint at the centre.

According to Al Jazeera, the woman’s husband was taken into custody after smashing a television when he learned that a relative of his had died in Gaza. The woman said her husband had behaved respectfully toward the officers and that police seized her and forced her to the ground after she only asked to go with him when he was being taken into detention.

Al Jazeera also reported that the woman went into early labour after the incident and later gave birth to a premature baby girl. Neither the mother nor the baby suffered serious injuries, but the episode has prompted scrutiny of police conduct.

Police response under review

According to the Dutch press, the husband was arrested after the altercation but has since been released. Dutch police said they would examine the episode and review the force used by the officers involved.

In a statement, a police spokesperson said the department "will carefully examine all the facts and circumstances," including an assessment of the force used by officers. The statement also said: "We need to look at what happened there and in what order,"

It remains unclear from the available reports whether any disciplinary measures have been taken against the officers involved in the incident.