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Italian police accused of making female activists remove underwear and do squats (www.theguardian.com)

submitted 9 hours ago by MicroWave@lemmy.world to c/world@lemmy.world

19 comments fedilink hide all child comments

Summary

Italian police in Brescia face allegations of degrading treatment after seven female climate activists from Extinction Rebellion claimed they were forced to remove their underwear and perform squats during questioning.

The activists, detained after a protest against Leonardo, an aerospace company, accused police of singling out women for this treatment.

Police denied misconduct, stating the procedure was to search for dangerous objects.

The incident has prompted calls for an investigation from opposition politicians amid debates over a controversial security bill targeting climate activists with harsher penalties.

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[-] Doorbook@lemmy.world 10 points 4 hours ago

The thing that people in the comments missing is the "activists" part. Here is more details from the article:

The activists were among 22 people brought to Brescia’s main police station on Monday morning after officers interrupted a protest held outside the Italian aerospace and defence firm Leonardo’s factory.

Activists have alleged that while there they were subjected to degrading treatment at the hands of police officers.

In a video posted online, one member of Extinction Rebellion, the global environmental movement, said: “They asked me to undress, take off my underwear and do three squats, ‘for checks’, according to them.”

The woman claimed the treatment was “only reserved for the females, not the males”.

[-] Omgboom@lemmy.zip 31 points 8 hours ago* (last edited 8 hours ago)

Lol it's to make sure you don't have anything shoved up inside of you. It's like you guys haven't ever been arrested before.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Body_cavity_search#Procedure

Squatting is sometimes instructed during the visual search, and prolonged holding of a squat can be demanded; squats are sometimes demanded while standing over a mirror (so that the observer has an improved view). The person may be asked to “squat and cough,” with the aim of dislodging an object stored in the rectum or vagina.

Edit: For the record fuck the police always, but this is a pretty standard part of being searched before you are processed

[-] glowie@h4x0r.host 2 points 1 hour ago

Don’t waste your time, people no longer like facts just feelings

[-] ValiantDust@feddit.org 21 points 8 hours ago

but this is a pretty standard part of being searched before you are processed

Not everyone lives in the US. If I remember correctly, here in Germany they are not allowed to routinely do these searches (doesn't mean they can't do them, but it's not standard when you are arrested). I think it's based on EU laws, so the same probably applies to Italy.

[-] HikingVet@lemmy.ca 20 points 8 hours ago* (last edited 8 hours ago)

Then why are they saying only the women had to do this?

Edit: I've never had a cavity search any of the times I have been arrested.

[-] HubertManne@moist.catsweat.com 1 points 3 hours ago

I sorta need this explanation. Some fucked up shit.

[-] HikingVet@lemmy.ca 2 points 3 hours ago

A lot of countries require the equivalent of probable cause to do a cavity search before entering institutions like prisons, jails, or asylums as a prisoner or patient.

[-] HikingVet@lemmy.ca 14 points 8 hours ago* (last edited 7 hours ago)

From the same article

United States edit

In the United States, Bell v. Wolfish is the benchmark case on this issue. In its judgment of the case, the U.S. Supreme Court established a standard of reasonable grounds for performing cavity searches. Among these are security concerns at prisons. Such searches are generally governed by the Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which prohibits searches without probable cause.[3]

[-] Nikelui@lemmy.world 4 points 8 hours ago

It's like you guys haven't ever been arrested before.

I can't say I have been, so thank you for the explanation.

[-] john89@lemmy.ca 16 points 7 hours ago

Police denied misconduct, stating the procedure was to search for dangerous objects.

Bullshit. Italian culture needs to grow the fuck up.

[-] Adderbox76@lemmy.ca 2 points 7 hours ago

"Yeah that doesn't surprise me." -- Anyone whose ever seen an Italian Giallo film.

[-] nevaseerius@sh.itjust.works 6 points 9 hours ago

Isn't that standard process when booking inmates

[-] HK65@sopuli.xyz 3 points 4 hours ago

Only in concentration camps.

[-] john89@lemmy.ca 9 points 7 hours ago

Nope. It's not 'standard.'

[-] HikingVet@lemmy.ca 9 points 8 hours ago

No.

[-] nevaseerius@sh.itjust.works 2 points 8 hours ago

Oh that's fucked up then, rip

[-] john89@lemmy.ca 4 points 7 hours ago

It'd be more fucked up if it was standard...

[-] itslilith 1 points 2 hours ago

No don't you understand, morality is solely derived from legality

[-] HowAbt2morrow@futurology.today 5 points 8 hours ago

Not yet

this post was submitted on 16 Jan 2025

130 points (100.0% liked)

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