Demonstrations held on several main roads in protest of the death of Solomon Tekah, who was shot by a police officer.
Arutz Sheva Staff, 01/07/19 23:31
Ethiopian immigrants protest at Netivot junctionReuven Sagron/TPS
Thousands of members of the Ethiopian community demonstrated on Monday evening in several central parts of the country, protesting the death of a member of the community, Solomon Tekah, who was shot by an off duty policeman in the Kiryat Haim neighborhood of Haifa on Sunday night.
Hundreds of demonstrators rioted near the Zevulun police station in Kiryat Haim, injuring three policemen as they threw rocks and fireworks at the police station.
The police dispersed the rioters using stun grenades. Police forces are deployed in the area to prevent harm to public order, life and property.
Earlier, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu responded to the death of the Ethiopian man and said at an event at the President’s Residence, “Our cohesion in trying times and in the moments leading up to trying times, is – in the end – the key to our strength. I regret the tragic loss of life of Solomon Tekah in Haifa last night. We all send condolences to his family.”
“I spoke about this today with the Acting Police Commissioner, who promised me that a major effort was being made to arrive at the truth as quickly as possible. The Ethiopian community is dear to all of us. We have made a great effort in recent years to optimize its integration into Israeli society, and we still have much work to do,” added Netanyahu.
Protests across Israel over killing of Ethiopian Israeli teen by off-duty cop – Ynet News 16:11
Protesters outside the home of Public Security Minister Gilad ErdanPhoto: Ono News
Demonstrations from Haifa to Be’er Sheva over death of 19-year-old Solomon Tekah, shot by policeman who said he feared for his and his family’s safety as he intervened in street brawl; Netanyahu expresses regret over killing Raanan Ben Tsur |Published: 07.01.19 , 22:52
Hundreds of members of Israel’s Ethiopian community and their supporters took to the streets across Israel on Monday, protesting the killing of an Ethiopian Israeli teenager by an off-duty policeman a day earlier.
The largest protest was taking place in the Haifa suburb of Kiryat Ata, where more than 1,000 people had been blocking the Histadrut Junction since the morning hours.
Young Ethiopian Israelis protest in Kiryat Ata (Photo: Gil Nachshon)
Similar protests were taking place in Rehovot in central Israel and the southern cities of Be’er Sheva and Ashkelon. In Ashdod, protesters blocked the southern entrance to the city, as well as main roads in the area.
Solomon Tekah, 19, was shot dead Sunday evening in the Haifa suburb of Kiryat Haim by an off-duty police officer who pulled out his gun while trying to break up a street brawl.
The unnamed officer, who was walking with his family when the incident occurred, was detained and is currently under house arrest.
Solomon Tekah
The policeman said that he opened fire due to concerns for his and his family’s safety
Dozens of protesters also gathered Monday night outside the home of Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan in Kiryat Ono, near Tel Aviv.
The protesters held signs reading: “Solomon Tekah went off for his summer holiday and came back in a coffin” and “This was an extrajudicial execution.
” Protesters outside the home of Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan (Photo: Ono News)
Demonstrations also took place in Rishon Letzion in central Israel and Netivot in the south. From our pages‘If you’re black in Israel, you’re scared to walk down the street’Vered GoldmanYosef Salmasa, Ilan Tefera Bhatta, Abraham Damati, all of Ethiopian descent, have died after tragic encounters with the Israel Police. Their relatives talk about the racism, their anger and the feeling of discrimination.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday expressed regret over Tekah’s death, calling it a “tragic loss of life.”
“I spoke to the acting police commissioner (Moti Cohen) today, who promised me that we would make every effort to reach the truth as quickly as possible,” Netanyahu said.
“The Ethiopian community is dear to all of us. We have made great efforts in recent years to integrate it into Israeli society, and we still have much work to do.”
Lighting memorial candles for Solomon Tekah at a Be’er Sheva protest (Photo: Ayela Biluch)
This is not the first time this year that a police officer has shot dead a member of the Ethiopian community, sparking mass protests.
In January, Yehuda Biagda, a 24-year-old man with mental health problems, was shot and killed in Bat Yam, near Tel Aviv, by a policeman who said that he felt threatened by the knife that Biagda was wielding, although eyewitnesses said that the two were some distance apart when the police officer opened fire.
The policeman’s attorney said at the time that his client had opened fire as a “last resort”, while Biadga’s family strongly accused the officer of having “an easy hand on the trigger.”
Itay Blumennthal, Yael Freidson and Ilan Curiel contributed to this report
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Hundreds of Israelis took to the streets in the area of the northern city of Haifa on Monday to protest the shooting of 18-year-old Israeli teen of Ethiopian descent Solomon Teka, who was shot to death by an…