Climate activists say they were subjected to degrading treatment during questioning in Brescia on Monday

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.

  • Omgboom@lemmy.zipEnglish
    3614·
    10 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

    • acargitz@lemmy.caEnglish
      1·
      34 seconds ago

      Super standard, which is exactly why initially the police denied doing it 😒

      • HikingVet@lemmy.caEnglish
        5·
        5 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.

    • ValiantDust@feddit.orgEnglish
      27·
      10 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.caEnglish
      24·
      10 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.

    • HikingVet@lemmy.caEnglish
      173·
      10 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.worldEnglish
      5·
      10 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.