Netherlands probes police attack on Muslim women in Utrecht

Authorities in the Netherlands have launched an investigation into possible racially motivated violence by a police officer following an incident in Utrecht in which two Muslim women were beaten with a baton and kicked.

According to police statements, all available video footage—including recordings from body cameras and other sources—will be thoroughly reviewed as part of a comprehensive investigation. Police emphasised that reports of this nature are taken “very seriously," Caliber.Az reports per foreign media. 

The incident, which occurred on the evening of January 26, was captured on video and widely shared on social media.

One of the women involved was reportedly detained on charges of insulting a police officer, according to authorities.

The NOS public broadcaster quoted a police spokesperson acknowledging the strong public reaction to the footage, noting that it has raised “particularly serious questions related to racism.”

Footage circulating online shows the officer striking the women with a baton and kicking them during the encounter. 

By Sabina Mammadli