A video showing a Belgian police officer slapping a handcuffed woman across the face during an arrest has caused outrage after being widely shared on social media. The footage, filmed in the Nivelles municipality of Walloon Brabant province, shows three officers trying to put the woman into a police van; when she resists, a male officer strikes her before forcing her inside. The clip has divided public opinion, with many condemning the use of force while others argue the officer had little choice given her resistance.

The video has racked up hundreds of thousands of views, prompting Nivelles Mayor Bernard De Ro to announce an internal investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident, including what happened before filming began and why force was used. Prosecutors have cautioned against forming judgements based solely on social media footage, and it remains unclear why the woman was detained. The case follows a similar controversy in France, where an officer is under investigation after a man he threw to the ground at a music festival in Carcassonne died 13 days later, though an autopsy pointed to a toxic cause rather than a direct injury link.