A Hungarian camerawoman who was caught on video kicking migrants last month is now planning to sue Facebook, as part of effort to clear her name.
Journalist Petra Laszlo is lashing out against the social network for failing to remove threatening groups and messages aimed at her, despite her requests, she told Russian news outlet Izvestia (Russian). Laszlo also claims that Facebook shut down groups that supported her.
“We believe Facebook played a big role in my situation,” Laszlo said in the interview, translated by Quartz. “It helped stir people up against me.”
Laszlo’s actions sparked international outrage in September when footage emerged of her kicking and tripping migrants crossing a border into Hungary from Serbia. She was promptly fired from her job as a camera operator at Hungarian television station N1TV, and is facing criminal charges.
One of the most damning shots in the video was of Laszlo tripping a man who was carrying a young boy. Despite the footage, Laszlo claims that the man, Syrian refugee Osama Abdul Mohsen, backpedaled on his initial account—that he first faulted a police officer for tripping him, and then changed his story to blame her, she said.
“We’ll also show that Osama, the refugee, is wrong. He’s changed his testimony,” said Laszlo. “My husband wants to prove my innocence. Now it’s a matter of honor for him.”
Thousands of refugees and asylum-seekers have been pouring into Hungary, after illegally entering from other parts of Europe. The country has drawn criticism for how it’s dealt with the influx of immigrants—cramming some into camps and constructing a wall to keep others out. However, Hungary has argued it’s doing its best to handle the crisis.
Laszlo apologized for her actions after the video first went viral, saying she acted out of fear. She adds in the interview that the left-wing media has refused to listen to her side of the story, bolstering the backlash against her.
Laszlo plans to file the suit after her criminal trial concludes.