Belgian midfielder from Bnei Sakhnin, an Israeli club, Stephane Omeonga denounced, in an Instagram publication, a violent arrest by the Italian police on Christmas Day while he was flying between Rome and Tel Aviv. He says he was a victim of racism and was supported by many Belgian players.
Stephane Omeonga, a Belgian midfielder playing for the Israeli club Bnei Sakhnin, was very brutally arrested by the Italian police on Christmas Day while he was flying between Rome and Tel Aviv. A situation that he denounces in an Instagram post explaining his version of the facts, accompanied by a video where we can see the first part of his arrest on the plane.
He says he was a victim of racism and received support from many Belgian players.
In the published video, an Italian police officer can be seen handcuffing him as Omeonga tries to explain himself. He explains that he is a footballer and Belgian citizen. Not enough to calm the situation. The player was then forced out of the plane, in front of shocked passengers, some of whom filmed the scene. “What are you doing, are you crazy?” he asks as he is grabbed by the neck.
“Handcuffed like a criminal”
“On December 25, I was the victim of police brutality. On a flight from Rome to Tel Aviv, after boarding the plane and taking my seat, a flight attendant approached me about an alleged problem with my documents and asked me to leave the plane Confident in the validity of my documents, I calmly asked him what kind of problem it was,” he recalls.
“The police were called, and I was handcuffed and forced to leave the plane. Once outside the plane, away from the eyes of witnesses, the police violently threw me to the ground, knocked and one of them pressed his knee against my head. I was then taken to the airport in a police vehicle, handcuffed like a criminal. An ambulance arrived, but I was in shock. was unable to answer the questions of Soon after, I heard on the police car radio that I had refused medical attention, that everything was fine, I asked them to take me in the ambulance with them. fearing what the police might do to me.”
“I cannot tolerate any form of discrimination”
“Then I was placed in a gray room, without food or water, and left in a state of total humiliation for several hours. After my release, I learned that a police officer had filed a complaint against me for injuries I allegedly caused during the arrest, even if I was handcuffed. Furthermore, to date, I have not received any justification for my arrest.
“As a human being and a father, I cannot tolerate any form of discrimination. This arrest is just the tip of the iceberg. Many people who look like me cannot find work, do not have access to housing or cannot participate in the sports they love simply because they are black. We must stand together and raise our voices to educate the people around us — our colleagues, neighbors and friends — on this issue. afflicts our society and hinders its progress.
