Violence at funeral of Jaffa suspect killed by police
During the funeral procession of a 22-year-old man from Jaffa who was shot to death in a police chase, a journalist and his photographer were beaten and their equipment is destroyed; roads were blocked and vehicles torched by the mob; eight arrested for disturbing the peace.
Violence erupted Saturday night during the funeral of a 22-year-old man who was shot to death during a police chase in Jaffa earlier that day.
During the procession, in which hundreds of people took part, Channel 2 News reporter Gilad Shalmor and photographer Gal Zeitman were beaten and their equipment was destroyed as they were trying to cover the event. They were taken to Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center in a light condition.
The crowd also blocked the way of drivers who happened by the area, shouting obscenities at them and at nearby police forces.
The funeral procession, which traveled from the deceased's home through the city's mosque and ended at the city's cemetery, became a demonstration by the family and local residents, who accused police officers of being trigger happy when their gun was pointed at Arabs.
Police reported that after the end of the funeral, several of its participants clashed with police forces, set trash cans on fire, blocked roads and even set fire to vehicles in several locations.
Police arrested eight people, including six minors, for disturbing the peace. One of the detainees was released during the night.
"The police have repeatedly called on the public in Jaffa to show restraint and public responsibility and to refrain from violating the law and public order," the police said in a statement. "It's in everyone's public interest to return to daily routine as soon as possible.
"We will continue the dialogue with the community dignitaries in Jaffa, but will not hesitate to stay firm and bring to justice the lawbreakers who violate public order."
The investigation into the incident in which the suspect was killed on Saturday was entrusted to the Police Internal Investigations Department and a gag order was imposed on the details of the victim and on the details of the investigation.
The attorney who represents the family of the deceased said that "there was no reason to open fire (on the suspect) because he did not pose any danger to the officers. In my opinion, this was a wrong and unnecessary shooting that led to the loss of human life for no reason."
Attorney Amir Badran, a member of the Tel Aviv-Jaffa city council, said that "the police are beginning to treat the Arab minority as an enemy and shoot its members with intention to kill."
At the same time, some residents of Jaffa were speaking in support of the police.
One such local resident said: "It is true the police did not have to shoot him dead and that there were confrontations, but unfortunately we do not see people protesting against criminals who murder people. Unfortunately, violence and crime continue and no one speaks out. Everyone is silent. But when it's a policeman who does the shooting, everyone becomes a hero."
Tel Aviv-Jaffa Mayor Ron Huldai said, "I understand the pain of the Arab community in Jaffa, but it is important at this time to maintain restraint for the sake of order and security for all. We must not allow the extremists to destroy the shared life in Jaffa, which we have built together through hard work. I hope the matter will be investigated quickly and thoroughly."
Hassan Shalan, Asaf Zagrizak, Eli Senyor, Ran Boker and Itay Blumental contributed to this article.
