Around 300 residents of predominantly Arab Jaffa held a protest march on Saturday against the police. Organizers of the march said the protest was against the recent arrest of Tony and Jiras Copti, two brothers who starred in the Oscar-nominated movie 'Ajami'.
The brothers were arrested for allegedly assaulting police officers. But they later filed a complaint, claiming they had been assaulted by the arresting officers.
The protest began at Jaffa's famous clock tower and headed towards police headquarters. Police officers accompanied the march. Protestors waved signs reading, "Jaffa is not a training ground" and "The movie 'Ajami' reflects reality".
Knesset Member Dov Khenin (Hadash), a former Tel Aviv-Jaffa mayoral candidate, participated in the rally.
'Ajami' brought to the surface the tensions between police and the residents of Jaffa. While Israel Police claims it is merely operating against criminal elements, residents claim its tactics are too harsh.