Hundreds of Ethiopians protest against racism in Israel

2012-01-11 21:48:42 GMT+7 (ICT)

TEL AVIV (BNO NEWS) -- Hundreds of Ethiopian immigrants on Tuesday took to the streets of the Israeli city of Kiryat Malachi to protest discrimination against their community members, the Jerusalem Post reported on Wednesday.

Ethiopian residents of Kiryat Malachi claim that housing committees in the city have been refusing to sell them apartments. "This is a battle against social injustice and it is not just for the Ethiopian community, it is for everyone in Israel," commented one of the main organizers, Kiryat Malachi resident Avi Yalou.

The protest was sparked by a story broadcast on Israeli television last week that showed how a young Ethiopian family was unable to purchase an apartment after tenants collectively signed an agreement not to rent or sell their properties to members of the Ethiopian community.

"We have already forgotten about that story, it happens everywhere in Israel, in every town and city," Yalou said. "There is a whole phenomenon and although it might have started here, there is nothing to stop it happening in Ashkelon, Beit Shemesh, Haifa or elsewhere."

Protesters marched from a community center for Ethiopian immigrants to the residential block where the family attempted to purchase the apartment. They chanted slogans against racism and held banners reading "No to racism" and "I have a dream", which is Martin Luther King's iconic phrase.

After the protest, Immigrant Absorption Minister Sofa Landver issued a statement saying that her office was shocked and deeply saddened by the events. "It is very sad to hear that in 2012 there is still this kind of racism in Israeli society against new immigrants," she said.

"It is important to note that not so long ago all of us were new immigrants to Israel and ashamed to discover that this kind of impatience exists among Israel's population," she added, as quoted by the Jerusalem Post.

Parliament Member Danny Danon, chairman of the Knesset Committee for Aliya, Absorption and Diaspora Affairs, announced that his committee will hold an emergency meeting on Wednesday to discuss the matter.

-- © BNO News All rights reserved 2012-01-11

Racism, religion and politics, the three curses of mankind.

Racism, religion and politics, the three curses of mankind.

Nope. Politics is the answer.