Protest: South Tel Aviv conquered by refugees
Residents of Tel Aviv's southern neighborhoods, right-wing activists protest in wake of rape of 83-year-old woman by Eritrean refugee: 'Crime in the area is ceaseless'
Ben Ari, Ben-Gvir against refugees (Photo: Moti Kimchi)
Members of the Strong Israel party, among them MK Michael Ben Ari and Knesset candidates Itamar Ben-Gvir and Baruch Marzel were among the leaders of the protest. "The elections seemed to have forgotten the most painful issue. People are focusing on all the 'bla, bla, bla' while life here has become a living hell," Ben Ari said.
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Dozens of people followed the right-wing activists, cursing at foreigners as they passed. One of the protesters even went as far as splashing water at a Sudanese family.
"We warned that this is what would happen. Why did we have to wait for it to come true?" Ben Ari ranted. According to him, criminal events such as a bike or cell phone getting stolen have become routine. "Now it seems that even the rape of an 83-year-old woman barley crosses the police's threshold," he added.
Sima Nisani, a resident of the HaTikva neighborhood and a political activist, said: "There are rapes and crimes non-stop. The streets have become flooded with refugees and their businesses, even though they do not pay taxes.
"Israeli businesses in the neighborhood have all gone under; there is no one to sell to. Where is the mayor? Why isn’t he taking care of this? The area is not safe for a mother with a stroller or for a child returning from school. There is no law, and its a crying shame."
Somebody do something
Among the protesters was Korin Galilee, whose mother was brutally beaten to death in 2010 at the hands of a Sudanese citizen, not far from the scene of rape.
"I just can't believe it, I am truly in shock. This is such a horrendous crime and I am sure it is not the only one," she said. "There are many incidents in which foreign workers rape prostitutes that aren’t even reported. The area has become occupied by refugees."
According to her, the police barley note the identity of the assailants in the cases that are reported in an attempt to "sweep the facts under the carpet." Regarding the refugees themselves, she demanded that they be "returned to where they came from."
Marzel, who organized the protest, said that "Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has halted every initiative which attempted to deal with the infiltrator issue. Eli Yishai talks as if he isn’t the interior minister, as if he is a simple citizen. It is all a question of public opinion. If the resident here will remain quiet nothing will happen; if they make a ruckus the government will do something."
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