Ethiopians in ’Israel’ Protest in Haifa: Enough of racism

Local Editor

Hundreds of Ethiopians in "Israel" had taken to the streets in the city of Haifa to voice their anger against the regime's racism and police brutality.

Some 400 protesters marched in the city under the slogan "Black or white, we are all human beings."

Further, the protesters carried posters reading "being black is not a crime" and demanded that the Zionist regime must respect Ethiopians in the occupied Palestinian territories. They also called for the police forces who abused them to be imprisoned.

One of the protest organizers said Tel Aviv "should provide answers to the question of how it's possible that members of the community continue to suffer from discrimination and crime in the neighborhoods they live in."

Moreover, Haifa resident Avishai Adaneh, 32, condemned the regime's racism and institutionalized discrimination against Ethiopian descents.

Protest organizer Guy Shamir said the aim of the march was to draw attention to "the trauma of last week," when a rally against racism and police brutality in Tel Aviv on May 3 turned violent.

During the protest in Tel Aviv, security forces fired pepper spray and stun grenades at protesters during the demonstration staged by Ethiopian "Israelis". Some 65 people, including police, were injured in the clashes.

Hence, the Haifa rally was the latest of a number of protests held after a new video emerged, showing an Ethiopian being beaten by police in a racist attack.

Accordingly, Ethiopians had long complained about unfair treatment and police violence by "Israeli" authorities. Thousands of "Israelis" of Ethiopian origin who are living in the occupied Palestinian territories are treated as third-class citizens.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team