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Clashes erupt during Ethiopian-Israeli protest in Tel Aviv

Xinhua, June 23, 2015 Adjust font size:

Clashes erupted in Tel Aviv on Monday evening between police and Ethiopian-Israelis protesting against racism and police brutality against the minority group.

Protesters hurled stones at police, smashed a window of a nearby restaurant and threw chairs. Police tried to disperse the crowds with water sprinklers and batons.

The protest was against police brutality on Ethiopian-Israelis and the decision to close a criminal investigation into the beating of an Ethiopian-Israeli soldier by two policemen.

Police arrested at least 15 out of hundreds of protesters and blocked several roads during the protest held at the Tel Aviv Rabin square, according to a spokesperson.

One protester named Gil told Chanel 1 news that it was the police that started the commotion.

"The protest was peaceful; there were several hundred of us gathered. There were undercover cops among us trying to ... and managing to provoke unrest among a few dozen protesters," he said. "They're trying to cause a riot and make us look guilty."

Another protester called Efrat told the Walla news website that the altercations in the restaurant followed "excessive force" used by the police.

A police spokesperson said that "despite attempts to talk with the protesters, the protesters chose ... to act in disorderly conduct, blocking roads and ignoring demands by the police. After that, several protesters caused damages to property. Police forces at the scene started arresting those who acted out and instigated the protesters."

This latest protest follows several others held by Ethiopian-Israelis in major cities like Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and Haifa against racial bias by the police, which were triggered after video footage of two police officers hitting an Ethiopian-Israeli soldier surfaced in Israeli media outlets.

Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein has recently decided to close a pending criminal investigation against the two police officers shown in the video, to the ire of the Ethiopian community.

During a protest in Tel Aviv two months ago, violent clashes broke out between police and protesters, resulting in the injury of 41 people from both sides. The protesters threw rocks at police, while the police used stun grenades and water cannons in response.

National statistics show that about 135,000 Ethiopian-Israelis are living in the country. They arrived in major immigration waves during the 1980s and the 1990s.

Ethiopian-Israelis suffer from discrimination regarding jobs and wages, education and imprisonment rate, as their communities are mainly concentrated in specific neighborhoods. Endit