Dutch police reject U.S. woman's claim of racist brutality
THE HAGUE, Netherlands -- Dutch police have rejected claims by a black American lawyer working at the United Nations’ highest court that she was a victim of racially motivated brutality by officers in The Hague.
In a Facebook post that had been taken down Friday, Chaka Laguerre wrote that she was violently arrested by two Hague police officers after they spotted her jaywalking on Tuesday morning.
In the post, copies of which can still be found online, Laguerre wrote that being a lawyer at the International Court of Justice “did not save my black body from racially-motivated police brutality.”
Laguerre complained of violent and heavy-handed action by the two male officers who detained her after stopping her for dangerously crossing a road and asking her for her ID. Police countered that she resisted arrest and was ultimately taken to a cell and charged with not showing a valid ID. She was not charged for resisting arrest, police said.
Hague police chief Paul van Musscher visited the court Thursday to complain about the post and show surveillance video footage of the incident, police spokeswoman Chantal Marges said, adding that it is now up to the court to decide if any further action should be taken.
The court had no comment Friday and Laguerre could not immediately be reached for comment.
In an unusual step, the Hague police department posted an English language statement online countering the claims.
“The police emphasizes the fact the woman was arrested as a result of her dangerous traffic behavior,” the statement said. “The woman’s accusation that the incident involved racism and violent action by the police is completely unfounded.”