12 Arrested, 2 police injured in anti-Netanyahu riots
Jerusalem’s police on Saturday night arrested 12 rioters who participated in protests against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in another night of unrest in the capital, the 11th consecutive weekend the protests have taken place.
Photo by Yehonatan Valtser/TPS on 5 September, 2020
Thousands of demonstrators rallied around the prime minister’s official residence in the centre of the city while blocking main routes.
The demonstrators had a mixture of messages, including charges that Netanyahu was harming Israel’s democracy, that he was on trial for criminal charges and therefore should step down, that he had failed in his leadership during the Coronavirus crisis, that he should cease with his plan to declare sovereignty over Judea and Samaria and an assortment of various other demands and messages.
They were again joined by a group of Breslav Chassids who demanded that Israel allow them to travel to Uman, Ukraine, for Rosh Hashanah, despite the COVID-19 related restrictions.
The protest lasted for several hours and after a large part of the protesters left the demonstration, dozens remained and began to disrupt the order while ignoring the repeated calls by the police to disperse independently.
At some point, the rioters broke through the police’s barriers and scuffles ensued, during which two policemen were injured.
Police forces dispersed the rioters, cleared the intersection and opened it to traffic. Some of those blocking the roads received traffic tickets.
The 12 were arrested for violating public order and some for assaulting police officers, the police said.
Demonstrators also rallied near Netanyahu’s home in Caesarea and at several intersections throughout the country.
Saturday night’s protests were the latest in several such events that took place in recent weeks in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, and the demonstrations’ organizers have vowed to continue with their campaign to unseat Netanyahu.
