Violent clash in Jaffa
Photo: Ofer Amram
Eggs, 'Nazis' in haredi protest
Haredim clash with police in Jaffa; Arab man hurt in earlier riot: They wanted to kill me
About 200 haredi protestors clashed with police Thursday over archeological excavation works at the Andromeda complex in Jaffa, just south of Tel Aviv.
Some protestors yelled at the police officers: "You're treating us worse than the way you treated the Turks," referring to the recent flotilla incident. Leaflets brought by the protestors read: "May the arms of the infidels who desecrate the graves be cut down."
The protestors dubbed police officers as "Nazis," "murderers," and robbers," while hurling eggs and water bottles at them. Three demonstrators were held for questioning, while others donned yellow construction helmets bearing the caption: "Protective gear against police violence."
Nazi Curses
Hagai Segal
Overused Nazi curses no longer manage to insult anyone around here, Hagai Segal says
Earlier Thursday, a vehicle belonging to the Electra company was torched in Jerusalem's Mea Shearim neighborhood by haredi boys, also in connection to haredi anger over the works. Neighborhood residents put out the fire themselves.
Wednesday night, hundreds of haredim rioted in Jerusalem to protest the excavation work. Two motorcyclists traveling on Highway 1 crashed into a garbage dumpster pushed into the road by protestors, sustaining serious and moderate wounds.
'They wanted to kill me'
One of the wounded, 24-year-old Tamer Yagmor, spoke to Ynet from his hospital bed Thursday.
"They wanted to kill me," he said. "They were laughing and did not offer any help."
"I hit the floor and hurt my head and my body. I was screaming in pain and couldn't move, yet nobody came. I looked at he haredim and they laughed," he said.
Yagmur suffered fractures in both arms, blows across his body, and also broke his thigh. He is expected to undergo surgery soon. The young Arab man said that following the incident he will never take the same road again.
"I'm sick and tired of it. I will not drive there, in Mea Shearim or any of their neighborhoods. A normal person does not behave the way they behaved," he said. "For me there is no difference between Arabs and Jews. We're all the same and we need to behave properly."
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Ronen Medzini contributed to the story
