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A viral video showing a Belgian police officer slapping a handcuffed woman in Nivelles has caused significant public outrage. The incident occurred when three officers tried to place the restrained woman into a van, and one officer struck her before forcing her inside. Social media users widely condemned the action as an abuse of power, while others defended it as necessary. Mayor Bernard De Ro confirmed that an internal investigation is underway to examine why force was used in this situation.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-09-17,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
A viral video from Nivelles, a city south of Brussels in Belgium, shows a police officer slapping a handcuffed woman across the face before forcefully pushing her into a police van. The incident has garnered hundreds of thousands of views on social media and sparked widespread outrage. While the exact reason for her detention is unclear, the footage highlights concerns over excessive use of force by law enforcement. Nivelles Mayor Bernard De Ro, who also heads the local police district, confirmed that an internal investigation will be conducted to review the circumstances leading up to the incident and the officer's actions. Users on social media have called for disciplinary action against the involved officer, questioning if such behavior violates EU laws and basic human rights.
Written for “Belgium Police Brutality Controversy” on 2026-09-18,
grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
The article's own words the score was based on. Each is quoted
verbatim and was checked against the article text before being
stored, so you can find it in the original.
Leaning score -0.35 for article 16511 (high confidence, 1 verified quote) · logged 2026-09-17
A viral video of a police officer slapping a handcuffed woman across the face in Belgium has sparked widespread outrage.
asserted
officer → slap → outrage
In the shocking clip, which has since racked up hundreds of thousands of views on social media, three officers are seen attempting to place the woman into a police van in the city of Nivelles, south of Brussels.
asserted
officers → rack → Brussels
But when the handcuffed woman appears to resist getting into the vehicle, a male officer can be seen slapping her across the face before forcefully shoving her into the back of the van.
asserted
officer → handcuff → van
Two female officers can be seen standing nearby during the incident.
asserted
officers → see → incident
The exact reason for her initial detention remains a mystery.
asserted
reason → remain → detention
The footage has sparked widespread fury on social media, as outraged users condemned the officer’s “abuse of power” and called for him to be fired.
asserted
him → spark → power
She was already restrained; he did not need to strike her like that,” one furious person commented.
asserted
person → restrain → that
Another wrote: “It’s exactly these behaviours why the police are no longer respected.”
asserted
police → write → ?
Others questioned if the act violated EU laws and basic human rights, questioning why she was struck if she was already restrained.
However, others defended the officer’s actions, arguing that he had no other option.
“Very effective against a troublemaker,” one person argued.
asserted
person → question → troublemaker
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asserted
Report → start → news
Another user added that applying “violence in moderation” seemed “acceptable.”
Nivelles Mayor Bernard De Ro, who also heads the local police district, confirmed an internal investigation has been launched to review the circumstances leading up to the recording and why the officer used force – as reported by The Brussels Times.
asserted
officer → add → Times
Law enforcement authorities have also urged the public not to form opinions based solely on the short clip circulating online.
asserted
authorities → urge → clip
The disturbing footage comes just days after a separate police brutality incident in France, where an officer is now under investigation after a video emerged of him throwing a homeless man named Youssef E to the ground.
asserted
him → come → ground
It’s understood officers were responding to a noise disturbance call during a music festival in June when an officer walked up behind the 29-year-old and hurled him to the pavement.
asserted
officer → understand → pavement
The victim was not the target of the police intervention, was not arrested.
asserted
victim → arrest → intervention
He was tragically found in cardiac arrest at his camp on July 3, prompting an investigation into his death.
asserted
He → find → death
While an initial autopsy ruled out third-party injuries, prosecutors have since launched a judicial review into the officer for intentional violence following the release of the video.
asserted
prosecutors → rule → video
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