MK Marciano denies he was involved in brawl
Labor MK denies reports he came to blows with security guards at Herzliya nightclub, claims guards assaulted him. 'I'm not the villain in this story, I'm the victim,' he says
Knesset Member Yoram Marciano (Labor) denied Thursday reports he was involved in a brawl with security guards at a Herzliya nightclub last night.
However, a security guard at the Rio club where the MK attended a party Wednesday night filed a complaint with the police stating that Marciano attacked him while being intoxicated.
Earlier it was reported that while attending a birthday party at the club, Marciano tried leaving through a closed exit but security guards prevented him from doing so. As a result a scuffle broke out between Marciano and the guards.
The MK arrived at the police station Thursday morning on his own initiative in order to discuss the affair. Upon leaving the station, Marciano said that he was the victim, not the villain, in the incident.
According to Marciano, he also filed a complaint against the security guards who he claimed assaulted him.
"I got punched in my right ear and I'm on my way to the doctor to get checked, because I've been having pains… I say to you explicitly, I did not attack," he stated.
Responding to allegations that he was drunk during the incident, Marciano said, "I was drinking normally, like any person who attends a party. As you probably know, you don't drink instant coffee when you go out to a pub. I'm a human being too… what I had to drink is my own business, drinking is permitted by law."
'Talking nonsense and pushing people'
A student who witnessed the incident, told Ynet: "MK Marciano tried leaving through the entrance. The security guards at the place told him he cannot pass through there, but he tried exiting again, and also pulled out a Knesset Member certificate. On the third time he was forcefully stopped by the guards, and he made a fuss about it and started claiming that they had punched him.""He went wild and started yelling, saying, 'A public official must not be assaulted like this, people should learn that a public official should be treated nicely.' He called the police and three police cars arrived at the place. I went over to him, held him and told him to calm down," the student added.
According to the student, Marciano was "talking nonsense and pushing people who tried to approach him. He told me that he wants the guard to apologize to him, and that this would be the end of the matter. So the guard indeed came over, apologized, they both shook hands and left."
Raanan Ben-Zur contributed to the report
