"Policemen fired three warning shots towards three Roma people who resisted a road check in the village of Szátok, Nógrád county, northern Hungary on Tuesday. The driver of the car admitted that he had been drinking alcohol and one police officer asked for his papers, after which local residents appeared and threatened the police patrol.One of the passengers put his hands around one of the police officer’s neck, prompting his colleagues to called for reinforcements from Rétság police station. A crowd of nearly 100 people thronged around the police patrol but were calmed by the arrival of the Szátok minority authority.
Police spokeswoman Éva Nagy Dankó said a 30-year-old, a 27-year-old and a 29-year-old man are suspected of using force against police officers. Nógrád county police chief Jenő Szabó described the officers’ use of firearms as both lawful and necessary due to the fact that they had been overwhelmingly outnumbered.
On Tuesday the Nógrád county and Rétság town police chiefs held talks on how to handle the situation with the mayor of Szátok and the local Gypsy authority leader."
Source: Hungary Around the Clock.
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19.11.2008