Israeli Ethiopian protest against racism turns violent

[webfact]

Israeli Ethiopian protest against racism turns violent

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Several thousand people from Israel's Jewish Ethiopian minority protested in Tel Aviv against racism and police brutality on Sunday, shutting down a major highway and clashing with police on horseback long into the night.

The protest was mostly peaceful during the day, but by nightfall became violent with at least 20 officers hurt and "multiple protesters" arrested, Police Spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said.

Protesters threw rocks and bottles at officers in riot gear. Police deployed officers on horseback and used stun grenades to try and control the crowds in central Tel Aviv. Local media reported protesters tipped over a police vehicle and set fires near city hall.

Channel 2 TV said the protesters came from all over the country.

"I am here to fight for our rights," a woman named Batel from the northern city of Nazareth Illit told the station.

"I don't want to be beaten by police," said the 21-year- old, who didn't give her last name. "My parents didn't immigrate here for nothing. I want equality."

Simmering frustrations among Israel's Ethiopian community boiled over when footage emerged of an Ethiopian Israeli in an army uniform being beaten by police last week. Thousands of Ethiopian Jews live in Israel, many of them secretly airlifted into the country in 1984 and 1990, but their absorption into Israeli society has been difficult. Although they are Jewish, Ethiopian community members complain of racism, lack of opportunity in Israeli society, endemic poverty and routine police harassment.

Police chief Yohanan Danino told Channel 10 TV that "the use of violence by a small minority of the many protesters does not serve their struggle." He added, "Whoever harms police or civilians will be brought to justice."

Activists told the station they don't want violence to escalate to the level seen in Baltimore where the death of a man in police custody sparked riots. One man held a sign reading: "Bibi, you had better not let Baltimore reach Israel," referring to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu by his nickname.

Police said thousands of people took part in Sunday's protest. Protesters blocked roads in central Tel Aviv as well as a main highway leading to the city during the day.

It was the second such protest in several days and supporters say the demonstrations will continue. The first rally last week in Jerusalem turned violent as well, but on a smaller scale.

Protestor's marched in Tel Aviv, with some blowing whistles or chanting "violent police officers belong in jail."

Netanyahu said he will meet Monday with representatives of the community as well as the beaten solider.

Public Security Minister Yitzhak Aharonovich told Channel 2 the officers caught in the footage are "a disgrace" and are being investigated. He said Israel's police force "needs to examine itself" and that more needs to be done to help the Ethiopian community.


-- (c) Associated Press 2015-05-04

[arfurcrown]

Looks like some lessons have not been learned from history regarding tolerance and other lessons have been learned regarding discrimination against a section of the community that seems to be ethnically profiled by racial origins and colour.

Edited May 4, 2015 by arfurcrown

[shirtless]

Israel the world is watching you , treat people fairly or shut up about your history

[dexterm]

No country has a premium on bigotry. Scratch the surface and you will find racism everywhere.

The irony in the OP is more poignant considering the persecuation Jews have suffered over the centuries.

If this is what Israeli police do to black Jews in IDF uniform, imagine what else they get away with.

Interesting item with background to the Ethiopian protest.

The tribulations of being an Ethiopian Jew

Sium, 32, has lived in Israel most of his life, but says he and other Ethiopian Jews are treated differently from other Israelis: factories do not want to employ them; landlords refuse them; and certain schools turn away their children.

"The word discrimination doesn’t describe what we experience. There is another word for it: racism. It is a shame that we still have to use this word today,”

http://www.irinnews.org/report/94819/israel-the-tribulations-of-being-an-ethiopian-jew

Edited May 4, 2015 by dexterm

[edhart]

small village in rural england ,had a old gay black jewish man living near me ,mother jewish german ,farther black ,everybody loved him and his little white man

[Credo]

Because someone says it's racist, it doesn't mean it is racist.

[ABCer]

People are people everywhere.

Even if they are Jews. I'm not denying or confirming the cases of discrimination.

But "Baltimore" tactics are a disgrace to American and Jewish blacks. They are counterproductive.

Discrimination is a spontaneous phenomenon and violence will only reinforce it amidst majority of population.

Administrative measures cannot correct attitudes in community.

[HerbalEd]

Because someone says it's racist, it doesn't mean it is racist.

And someone saying "it doesn't mean it is racist" doesn't mean it's not racist.

[arjunadawn]

How about a story about the recent protest where just as many of the same people took to the streets to vent their concerns and no one paid attention... oh! There wasn't a previous protest? This is the first protest and it was violent, throwing stuff, referencing Baltimore, demanding "equality?"

"I dont want to be beaten by police..." is a curious enough element to be reported, and so data provided to augment the protester's fear should have been noted, or not, in the OP. It was not. It was not because there are no police or other reports of young women generally being beaten by police locally; I doubt it. It was a verbal grenade tossed into the "protest" for "equality" to help ensure that the result is most certainly not equality but accommodation and special rights, not equal rights. As the world increasingly polarizes with economic and religious challenges the common ground of civilization is distilling and the back end product is the sad but palpable reality that you can threaten others to take their stuff, their industry, their complicity in false drama, white guilt, jewish guilt, crusade guilt, USA guilt, and leverage that into your own tribal insurgency upon the civilized world- Gaza.

It is the character of the natural world to conserve energy and effort. When one animal learned to beat a nut with a rock another bird picked it up and dropped it- same result, different tools. When people in MD note people in MO, who note people in FL who note people in... and then people in Gaza note people in Paris and people in Israel note... it is the same B crap everywhere. It is not hard to discern a valid cry for equal rights from a cry for special rights. It is not complicated to note when people want equality in outcomes rather than equality in opportunity. One of the earliest and most salient clues will be them burning and destroying their neighborhoods, your homes, others businesses, etc. These are not the arguments of a post enlightened world, whether their underlying assertions be valid are not. The actions, by one or all, being self checked or not, define the group or protest and mark their effort as pure tribalism, pure nihilism, and not remotely worthy of honoring as a genuine protest. People who take to destruction should themselves be responded to in kind; unlike the recent BS intentional fueling or racial drama in MO and MD where local authorities conceded the cities to the protesters to loot and burn. It is simply a return to tribal warfare, not an expression in freedom of speech.

If this OP even remotely supports a valid protest against racism show me where I missed it.

[Beetlejuice]

The opinion of most people who consider themselves as being Jews first and foremost, is that the true Jews are central European Ashkenazi or Sephardic originating from Spain and even those two groups live in separate communities. Other Jews that have different ethnic origins and backgrounds hardly count as being members of the faith with them.

Israel was mean`t to be a land of the free for all those of the Jewish faith with the purpose that they could be practising Jews without restrictions and persecution regardless of race and from where they come from. But just like America, the so-called land of the free, this may sound like the perfect society on paper, but in reality doesn`t work. Both Israel and America are racist societies, it is a sort of unwritten constitutional law where ethnic peoples are placed at a disadvantage.

[Thorgal]

Some footage of the police intervention.

[fvw53]

The "Ethiopian Jews" are descendants from the Kingdom of Himyar (now Yemen) while the Ashkenazi Jews are descendants of the East European Khazar Kingdom (see conferences on Youtube given by Prof History Tel Aviv University Shlomo Sand) : they both come from a really different world.

[Beetlejuice]

The "Ethiopian Jews" are descendants from the Kingdom of Himyar (now Yemen) while the Ashkenazi Jews are descendants of the East European Khazar Kingdom (see conferences on Youtube given by Prof History Tel Aviv University Shlomo Sand) : they both come from a really different world.

True.

Being a fellow believer of a faith does not automatically make people blood brothers. Imagine if Thailand decided to admit certain peoples as citizens just on the basis that their grandparents on their mothers side were Buddhists. Somehow I doubt that the Thais would be welcoming them with open arms.

[Jingthing]

The "Ethiopian Jews" are descendants from the Kingdom of Himyar (now Yemen) while the Ashkenazi Jews are descendants of the East European Khazar Kingdom (see conferences on Youtube given by Prof History Tel Aviv University Shlomo Sand) : they both come from a really different world.

Please stop spreading the Khazar conversion theory regarding Ashkenazim as a fact. It is not in any way any kind of fact. In actual fact, more recent good evidence largely and strongly refutes the theory. I know Israeli demonizers and so called "anti-Zionists" love the Khazar conversion theory as they think it supports their hate agenda to deny the right of Israel to exist. Academically, there is nothing wrong with exploring theories though but in this case presenting a highly controversial theory as fact is noxious.

As far as Ethiopian Jews, I am hardly any kind of expert. I recently read there are about 130,000 of them in Israel. I do know that Ethiopian Jews when in Ethiopia suffered horrendous oppression which I reckon was much worse than what they are experiencing in Israel, not that it excuses racism against them in Israel, which does exist, and for which there is no excuse.

There has been a controversy about SOME Ethiopians claiming to be Jews to get to Israel when they really have no connection to Jewishness (so they would basically be economic refugees) ... but there is a racial aspect to that as well. Of course surely SOME of them have indeed faked it and have no claim of Jewish connection at all in truth. However, other people in the world (from China, from indigenous South American people, etc.) with very little connection to Jewishness have qualified for immigration to Israel, so the attention on the truth of the Ethiopian claims is most probably out of balance ... thus the racial factor.

Jews are people. Racism exists in all peoples. It's something worth protesting about in all societies. I'm sure the Ethiopian Israelis have legit grievances and I hope their protests bring about positive change for them.

Edited May 4, 2015 by Jingthing

[Thorgal]

Because someone says it's racist, it doesn't mean it is racist.

Perhaps you didn't see the attack on the Ethiopian Jew from IDF who was taken as...and African immigrant....

http://hinterlandgazette.com/2015/04/ethiopians-protest-police-brutality-racist-attacks-israel.html

Edited May 4, 2015 by Thorgal

[Jingthing]

I have a wonderfully and/or pitifully naive suggestion for the Israeli government on solving this for the future. Start early. Have a required course for very young children in the culture of Ethiopian and the history of Ethiopian Jews. Bring in speakers from the community, dance, music, art, and expose them to the incredibly delicious Ethiopian food.

I think sometimes food can bring people together.

Not suggesting Ethiopians are only good for running restaurants ... in a community that small, 130,000, a lot more Ethiopian restaurants could serve to raise a lot of Ethiopian Israeli people into greater wealth. It seems to me this problem in Israel can be much easier to solve than in the U.S. -- with its history of slavery and black people being largely an underclass.

In Israel, the history of this immigration is much shorter, the numbers are much less, it's in Israel's interest in every way to have this minority better integrated. So why not?

Edited May 4, 2015 by Scott

[fvw53]

Jingthing, on 04 May 2015 - 15:54, said:

fvw53, on 04 May 2015 - 15:00, said:

The "Ethiopian Jews" are descendants from the Kingdom of Himyar (now Yemen) while the Ashkenazi Jews are descendants of the East European Khazar Kingdom (see conferences on Youtube given by Prof History Tel Aviv University Shlomo Sand) : they both come from a really different world.

Please stop spreading the Khazar conversion theory regarding Ashkenazim as a fact. It is not in any way any kind of fact. In actual fact, more recent good evidence largely and strongly refutes the theory. I know Israeli demonizers and so called "anti-Zionists" love the Khazar conversion theory as they think it supports their hate agenda to deny the right of Israel to exist. Academically, there is nothing wrong with exploring theories though but in this case presenting a highly controversial theory as fact is noxious.

As far as Ethiopian Jews, I am hardly any kind of expert. I recently read there are about 130,000 of them in Israel. I do know that Ethiopian Jews when in Ethiopia suffered horrendous oppression which I reckon was much worse than what they are experiencing in Israel, not that it excuses racism against them in Israel, which does exist, and for which there is no excuse.

There has been a controversy about SOME Ethiopians claiming to be Jews to get to Israel when they really have no connection to Jewishness (so they would basically be economic refugees) ... but there is a racial aspect to that as well. Of course surely SOME of them have indeed faked it and have no claim of Jewish connection at all in truth. However, other people in the world (from China, from indigenous South American people, etc.) with very little connection to Jewishness have qualified for immigration to Israel, so the attention on the truth of the Ethiopian claims is most probably out of balance ... thus the racial factor.

Jews are people. Racism exists in all peoples. It's something worth protesting about in all societies. I'm sure the Ethiopian Israelis have legit grievances and I hope their protests bring about positive change for them.

I am speaking about science and not about faith...

I am NOT repeat NOT anti-Jewish but I am against the faith that the Israeli's now living in what the Romans called "Palestine" are descendants of Abraham or King David or Moses

I am just writing what I learned from reading the books written by Prof Dr Shlomo Sand, Professor in History (yes History) at the University of Tel Aviv (yes Tel Aviv)

- first book : "The Invention of the Jewish People" (so this Jewish professor contradicts your claim that Jews are a "people" and he spends the first 100 pages in kind of PhD thesis on explaining this with many academic references)

- second book : "The Invention of the Land of Israel"

Both books have been backed up by Prof Dr Israel Finkelstein, Professor in Archaeology (yes Archaeology) at the University of Tel Aviv (yes Tel Aviv) : "The Bible Unearthed"

Those books were initially written in Hebrew for an Israeli (yes Israeli) audience and only translated later in English and in French...and I know nothing more on this subject than what is written by Shlomo Sand and Israel Finkelstein

Your writing suggests you have not read these books neither watched the conferences given by Prof Shlomo Sand (to be found on Youtube) ..one of those conference was given in Toulouse (in French) under the title "If Nethanyahu is a Jew then I am a Buddhist"

However if your faith contradicts the research of Shlomo Sand and Israel Finkelstein then this is your good right because science tries to learns us "how" and faith tries to make sense of our existence replying to the question "why".

[Jingthing]

Again, those theories which you take religiously as fact are not facts. I have posted evidence multiple times on this forum showing later hard evidence strongly refuting these theories you take as facts. You are posting refuted DATED theories. Not fact. Deal with it.

Again, it's an area of valid academic interest.

But don't kind yourself haters on Israel love that theory and have not moved on from pushing it as anti-Israel propaganda even though now refuted. Makes no difference to them whether it's true or not. If it can be used as ammunition to further their argument that Israel should have never existed, they'll never drop it, REGARDLESS of evidence.

Anyway, back to the topic at hand. Ethiopian Jews. NOT dated refuted politically loaded theories about the origin of Ashkanzim.

Edited May 4, 2015 by Jingthing

[dexterm]

The "Ethiopian Jews" are descendants from the Kingdom of Himyar (now Yemen) while the Ashkenazi Jews are descendants of the East European Khazar Kingdom (see conferences on Youtube given by Prof History Tel Aviv University Shlomo Sand) : they both come from a really different world.

Please stop spreading the Khazar conversion theory regarding Ashkenazim as a fact. It is not in any way any kind of fact. In actual fact, more recent good evidence largely and strongly refutes the theory. I know Israeli demonizers and so called "anti-Zionists" love the Khazar conversion theory as they think it supports their hate agenda to deny the right of Israel to exist. Academically, there is nothing wrong with exploring theories though but in this case presenting a highly controversial theory as fact is noxious.

As far as Ethiopian Jews, I am hardly any kind of expert. I recently read there are about 130,000 of them in Israel. I do know that Ethiopian Jews when in Ethiopia suffered horrendous oppression which I reckon was much worse than what they are experiencing in Israel, not that it excuses racism against them in Israel, which does exist, and for which there is no excuse.

There has been a controversy about SOME Ethiopians claiming to be Jews to get to Israel when they really have no connection to Jewishness (so they would basically be economic refugees) ... but there is a racial aspect to that as well. Of course surely SOME of them have indeed faked it and have no claim of Jewish connection at all in truth. However, other people in the world (from China, from indigenous South American people, etc.) with very little connection to Jewishness have qualified for immigration to Israel, so the attention on the truth of the Ethiopian claims is most probably out of balance ... thus the racial factor.

Jews are people. Racism exists in all peoples. It's something worth protesting about in all societies. I'm sure the Ethiopian Israelis have legit grievances and I hope their protests bring about positive change for them.

I think the events in the OP make it clear that Judaism is a religion not a race.

White mainly Ashkenazi Jews discriminate against black Ethiopian Jews. Olive skinned Middle Eastern Sephardic Jews experience Ashkenazi discrimination too.That's why they formed their own political party Shas "to repair what it sees as the continued economic and social discrimination against the Sephardic population of Israel".

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shas#Ideology

[Expat1]

Growing up during the boom of immigration from eastern Europe after WW2 I can say categorically there is no bigot like a Jewish East European immigrant when it comes to dark skin peoples. They even made the Ku Klux Klan blush, no joke. Israel (and it's govt and senior officials) is basically dominated by this crowd, or their descendents, so no mystery there. A real noble bunch.

[Jingthing]

Growing up during the boom of immigration from eastern Europe after WW2 I can say categorically there is no bigot like a Jewish East European immigrant when it comes to dark skin peoples. They even made the Ku Klux Klan blush, no joke. Israel (and it's govt and senior officials) is basically dominated by this crowd, or their descendents, so no mystery there. A real noble bunch.

You're exaggerating, for sure, comparing Israel to the old USA south.

How often are there LYNCHINGS there?

The Ethiopian Jews went to Israel for a better life. It could be a lot better but guess what I reckon if there were any left they would still come.

I am not disagreeing with you that there is racism as you say, but suggesting you are making a poor comparison.

Edited May 4, 2015 by Jingthing

[harryfrompattaya]

As a black man I am more worried what happen to Black Immigrants in South Africa a couple a weeks ago My sources say at least 276 died not a peep from Jew Haters about that. None so far got killed in Israel.

[Jingthing]

As a black man I am more worried what happen to Black Immigrants in South Africa a couple a weeks ago

My sources say at least 276 died not a peep from Jew Haters about that

Naturally.

That's the way it is and will be.

Any negative news from Israel tends to get way AMPLIFIED and any positive news (such as the amazing Israeli earthquake relief effort going on now) tends to get ignored or even twisted onto anti-Israel spin.

Trust me on this, IF Israel does ever get it's act together and the Ethiopians become well integrated there, the Israeli demonizers will call that "blackwashing" done for Israel propaganda purposes, the same way they have painted the good advances for gay rights in Israel as pinkwashing, not done because it is the right thing to do but for propaganda. Basically, with her demonizers, Israel can't win. They hate Israel REGARDLESS of anything.

Edited May 4, 2015 by Jingthing

[dexterm]

As a black man I am more worried what happen to Black Immigrants in South Africa a couple a weeks ago My sources say at least 276 died not a peep from Jew Haters about that. None so far got killed in Israel.

I deplore violence against all races, religions and colors based on naked bigotry and that includes black S Africans.

You are off topic or trying to deflect. This thread is about Israeli Jews discriminating against their fellow Jews on the grounds of their race or color.

[harryfrompattaya]

As a black man I am more worried what happen to Black Immigrants in South Africa a couple a weeks ago My sources say at least 276 died not a peep from Jew Haters about that. None so far got killed in Israel.

I deplore violence against all races, religions and colors based on naked bigotry and that includes black S Africans.

You are off topic or trying to deflect. This thread is about Israeli Jews discriminating against their fellow Jews on the grounds of their race or color.

You are right to hate all bigotry like me but I also say we are all God's Children

[konying]

The opinion of most people who consider themselves as being Jews first and foremost, is that the true Jews are central European Ashkenazi or Sephardic originating from Spain and even those two groups live in separate communities. Other Jews that have different ethnic origins and backgrounds hardly count as being members of the faith with them.

Israel was mean`t to be a land of the free for all those of the Jewish faith with the purpose that they could be practising Jews without restrictions and persecution regardless of race and from where they come from. But just like America, the so-called land of the free, this may sound like the perfect society on paper, but in reality doesn`t work. Both Israel and America are racist societies, it is a sort of unwritten constitutional law where ethnic peoples are placed at a disadvantage.

Grossly incorrect. Many Jews are from Ethiopia.

What OP does not mention is that many who migrated are NOT Jews , but saw it as an opportunity to flee Ethiopia for better life, there were not much options back then.

OP also fails to mention that most crime, including drugs and gangs are also Ethiopian.

Naturally it does not justify police brutality nor racism but it is not without a reason .

Furthermore if you watch the video, it was hardly a beating and Ethiopian soldier refused to follow police instruction.

He was hit once and he did fight back.

[dexterm]

Perhaps this demonstration will be a wake up call for Israelis to see the racism in their midst. When people are unjustly persecuted and repressed long enough, eventually they rise up in anger and cry enough is enough.

I didn’t realize just how badly Ethiopian Jews were discriminated against on the grounds of their race. Interesting item in Al Jazeera about the background to the OP

Ethiopian Jews: Not Jewish enough

"My blood is good enough for army service, but not good enough after," shouted a woman at a line of riot police last Thursday in Jerusalem.

"My brother is in Golani [an army unit] and so was I, but I can't get a job; I face racism when I want to move into an apartment," said another man in Tel Aviv on Sunday night.

...more at http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2015/05/ethiopian-jews-jewish-150504075644608.html

[Chicog]

You are right to hate all bigotry like me but I also say we are all God's Children

Well I hate bigotry but I'm an atheist so I'm afraid that makes me an orphan.

[dexterm]

The opinion of most people who consider themselves as being Jews first and foremost, is that the true Jews are central European Ashkenazi or Sephardic originating from Spain and even those two groups live in separate communities. Other Jews that have different ethnic origins and backgrounds hardly count as being members of the faith with them.

Israel was mean`t to be a land of the free for all those of the Jewish faith with the purpose that they could be practising Jews without restrictions and persecution regardless of race and from where they come from. But just like America, the so-called land of the free, this may sound like the perfect society on paper, but in reality doesn`t work. Both Israel and America are racist societies, it is a sort of unwritten constitutional law where ethnic peoples are placed at a disadvantage.

Grossly incorrect. Many Jews are from Ethiopia.

What OP does not mention is that many who migrated are NOT Jews , but saw it as an opportunity to flee Ethiopia for better life, there were not much options back then.

OP also fails to mention that most crime, including drugs and gangs are also Ethiopian.

Naturally it does not justify police brutality nor racism but it is not without a reason .

Furthermore if you watch the video, it was hardly a beating and Ethiopian soldier refused to follow police instruction.

He was hit once and he did fight back.

It appears PM Netanyahu and Israeli President Rivlin take the matter more seriously.

"Israel's PM meanwhile has met the Ethiopian Israeli soldier, whose beating by police fuelled tensions.

Benjamin Netanyahu praised Damas Pakedeh and said he was shocked by video which emerged last week showing the soldier being beaten by two police officers in a suburb of Tel Aviv.

One of the policemen involved has been fired and the other suspended from the force, Israeli police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld told the BBC."

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-32580708

[Ulysses G.]

Perhaps this demonstration will be a wake up call for Israelis to see the racism in their midst.

It must be your lucky day. Another two-faced excuse to express hatred for the "Zionists".

Edited May 4, 2015 by Ulysses G.