The Ukrainian public is outraged by a case of disrespectful treatment of Ukrainian children by the authorities of the city of Aalst.

On the evening of June 22, on the outskirts of Aalst, a car with a Ukrainian refugee and four young children, aged 4 to 10, was stopped by an unmarked vehicle.

Armed individuals disembarked and claimed that the driver had crossed a "red line." She denied the violation, as there were no red lines on the road markings. The police officers then changed their claim, now stating it was about "white lines," which the driver had not crossed.

Subsequently, the police forcefully made the children exit the vehicle, surrounded them, and began measuring their height. They demanded proof of insurance, which was in Ukrainian. However, the officers insisted on having it in English. The refugee contacted Ukraine, and they promised to send the insurance documents in English via email. The police officers did not wait and proceeded to block the car, stating that they would unlock it once they saw the insurance.

The insurance from Ukraine was sent shortly afterward. The driver printed it at the nearest hotel and walked with the children across the entire city to the police department.

 However, the office was closed, and the officer on duty stated that "all officers are busy." The young children, frightened by the actions of the police, who were acting like Russian troops in Ukraine, attacking Ukrainians from jeeps, were hungry and tired. The family reached out to the duty officer every half an hour by ringing the intercom.

Well past midnight, the duty officer rudely stated, "Get out, we don't care about your problems and the illegal parking of a blocked car, go away." As a result, the children had to return to the dark park on the outskirts of Aalst to eat and use the restroom at the local Ibis hotel. Witnesses from nearby houses observed the blocked car, and it is likely that there was a conspiracy between the officer who blocked the car and the duty officer to "punish the Ukrainians."

The car was only unlocked at 10 in the morning when the officers finally decided to admit the woman and saw that the insurance was in order.

The Aalst police cannot prove any wrongdoing in this case, except for the fact that the youngest child, a 4-year-old with a height of 135 cm, was not in a child seat. The refugee acknowledged this, but she could not leave one child at home while going to the store for food.

According to the common practice of the Belgian road police, transporting a child without a child seat carries a fine of 174 euros. However, instead of an apology from the Aalst police, who are "known" for their humane treatment of children and conduct PR campaigns on this issue, the refugee received a summons to the police prosecutor as a "particularly dangerous offender."

She faces a huge fine, a driver's license suspension for up to 5 years, or car confiscation, along with offenders who drive under the influence or hit pedestrians.

On January 24, 2024, there will be a court hearing at the police prosecutor's office.

The children's father contacted the Pechersk district prosecutor's office in Kyiv, Ukraine, at the children's place of residence, requesting a criminal investigation against the police officers who organized and implemented their plan of cruel treatment of young Ukrainian children. International human rights organizations and the Criminal Court in The Hague, which is conducting an investigation into the mistreatment of Ukrainian children, will be informed. Photo by Kevin.B, Wikimedia commons.