"Spanish police beat me with batons and dragged me like a dog on the road." This is how Sharon Salma, one of two Hapoel Tel Aviv Basketball fans arrested on Friday in Las Palmas for allegedly assaulting a police officer after Hapoel's EuroCup victory, described his experience. The two spent Passover evening in custody and were released on Sunday evening after each was fined €720, with an additional €300 imposed for allegedly breaking one of the officer’s watches.
Hapoel Tel Aviv fans arrested
"I didn’t do anything – I’m just a Hapoel Tel Aviv fan celebrating a EuroCup win," claims Salma. "My glasses were knocked off my face, and I couldn’t see anything for three days. My prescription is very strong. They threw me into a dark cell and didn’t even remove the handcuffs while I was in the holding cell. I was slapped, and officers kept coming in, mocking me, saying 'F*** Israel' and 'Free Palestine.' It was a nightmare. I feared that, because of the antisemitism there, I’d end up coming home in a coffin."
Salma described the events leading to his arrest: "At the end of the game, the police began evacuating Hapoel fans aggressively – wearing vests, wielding batons, helmets, and protective goggles, as if they were heading into battle. Outside the arena, we were singing in a circle, and then the police started pushing. As we headed toward our rental car, I was on a video call when I suddenly heard shouting in Hebrew. I turned around and saw my friends being detained. A police officer approached me with a baton, without me saying a word – and within seconds, I was on the ground. My glasses flew off, and I screamed that I couldn’t see. They handcuffed me from behind and dragged me on the road – like an animal. There are videos showing this."
"We arrived at the first detention center. They took my fingerprints. I was so terrified that I fainted – I didn’t drink water or eat anything. The handcuffs weren’t removed, except during the brief moments we were given food. We were slapped in areas without cameras."
"At two in the morning, they took us for a medical checkup. I told the doctor I couldn’t see, and I asked to be placed in a cell with my friend, both because of my poor vision and because I don’t understand English – but they didn’t help me. At three in the morning, we were transferred to a larger holding cell. They told me I was being accused of assaulting a police officer – an absolute lie. I didn’t do anything; it was arbitrary and abusive. They put me in solitary confinement – without a toilet, in complete darkness. Only after several hours did they throw in a bag with a snack."
"Only the following afternoon were we allowed a phone call to inform our parents. They didn’t even know where I was. I told my mother that they were planning to put us in a cell with Spaniards and begged her to contact the Foreign Ministry’s situation room. I told her: ‘If you don’t do this – I won’t come back alive.’"
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"The Foreign Ministry provided almost no help, and we received very little assistance from the embassy as well. On Friday night, a police officer suddenly came in and brought matzah – thanks to Ofer Yanai and Yizhar Shai, who made efforts to help us. Ofer went from one police station to another trying to locate us, but the police refused to cooperate. They even refused to pass along a Haggadah. On Sunday, we were informed of a ‘compromise’: each of us would pay €720. My friend, whom the officer accused of breaking his watch, was required to pay an additional €300. Hapoel Tel Aviv intends to file an official complaint with EuroLeague and the Spanish police, demanding an investigation into the wrongful arrest of Israelis – simply because they are Israelis."
Today, the two fans met with Hapoel Tel Aviv owner Ofer Yanai at the club’s offices, shared their experiences, and received assurances that the club would address the issue with EuroLeague and the Spanish police.