Arab rights organizations to sue police for Nakba riots

Ten days after the clashes that took place during the Nakba (Palestinian day of mourning for the 1948 events that led to the establishment of the State of Israel), the Adalah Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel and the Arab Human Rights Association (AHRA) are claiming that police acted unlawfully and attempted to instigate a riot during the day's demonstrations. The two organizations plan to demand that the Police Internal Affairs Bureau investigate several senior Northern District officers. Adalah also said they would bring civil suits against the officers that caused harm to demonstrators or their property. "Israel Police has forgotten what criminal recourse is, breaking virtually every section of the statute," said attorney Orna Cohen of Adalah, said Monday. Hundreds of people participated in the Nakba assembly at Tzippori junction, during which violent clashes developed between police and demonstrators. Five police officers were wounded, as were some of the demonstrators, among them Knesset Member Wasil Taha (Balad). Police said the riots began when Israeli demonstrators across the street waved an Israeli flag. They also claimed that the demonstrators would not obey the officers' orders, but blocked a traffic lane and threw stones across the street. Nakba assembly riots (Archive photo: Hagai Aharon) Adalah objected to this statement, and presented their own version of the facts during a press conference on Monday. "The police provocation was planned. We have evidence that shows that the violent attack was unjustified unlawful, as well as the actions taken against those who were arrested. The police is blatantly breaking the law and doing anything that crosses its mind," Cohen said. Fahim Doud, an attorney with the AHRA added, "15,000 people participated in the procession. Lets say only 10% of them threw stones – how is it that no one was harmed? Even the district commander had to search himself when asked, 'Where were you injured?'" The Arabs were also enraged over the permit granted to the right-wing demonstrators by the police, allowing them to hold a demonstration across the street from the Nakba assembly. "A senior personage linked to the police told me that the right-wing demonstration should not have been allowed to take place during the procession," said Salem Wakeem, chairman of the AHRA. 'Event organizers did not control participants' Adalah claimed the police had learned nothing from the Or Committee, which investigated the October 2000 riots and failed to to lead to any indictments. "The pictures show that the street was free of stones. We have been able to use the photos we have, to prove that the police are lying. We promise Israel Police that from now on, during every procession, every participant will be a journalist armed with a camera," the statement said. MK Mohammad Barakeh clashes with police (Archive photo: Hagai Aharon) In the photos presented by the organization, police officers are shown beating the demonstrators documenting the events. Adalah and the AHRA claimed that the photos succeeded in liberating the 13 demonstrators arrested. During the next few days the organizations plan to request that a criminal investigation be launched against officers of all ranks, who were present at the scene. In addition, they plan to draw up a detailed report in English, Hebrew, and Arabic, which will include photographic documentation of the incident, and which they plan to publish internationally. The Police Northern District has denied claims of intentional incitement of a riot, and stated that freedom of speech was upheld by the police on that day, in which they enabled the demonstration despite the hardships they had to endure in order to do so while forces were also required to secure the Independence Day events in northern Israel. "Despite their efforts, the assembly's organizers were unable to control the participants, who rioted in the street and forced police to block the road in order to protect those using it," the police statement said. "During the riot, some of the participants continued to throw stones at vehicles, endangering those using the road, and also at police in the area. As a result some of the officers were wounded, including the northern district commander. The riots forced police to demand that the rioters disperse, and to use force and resources to disperse the masses." The Northern District also said that the assembly's participants had the right to file complaints with Internal Affairs Bureau at any given time.

Arab rights organizations to sue police for Nakba riots

Arab groups claim they have proof of incitement by police present at Nakba assembly turned riot, which resulted in several officers, protestors injured. Police blatantly breaking law, they say