African asylum seekers injured in Tel Aviv race riots

[Eugene]

Source: The Guardian

African asylum seekers injured in Tel Aviv race riots

Violence breaks out after inflammatory speeches as protesters join
politicians to demonstrate against rising Israeli immigration

Conal Urquhart and agencies
guardian.co.uk, Thursday 24 May 2012 00.23 BST

Dozens of African asylum seekers were injured as race riots broke out in Tel Aviv on Wednesday night.

Thousands of protesters joined politicians to protest against the arrival of an estimated 60,000 asylum seekers in Israel in recent years. But after inflammatory speeches the demonstration broke out into violence.

Witnesses reported seeing men and women being beaten and shops and properties being attacked. Police said nine people were arrested.

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Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/may/24/tel-aviv-protest-violence-immigration

[Scurrilous]

1. Africans attacked in Tel Aviv protest; MKs: ‘infiltrators’ are cancer

Coalition MKs incited the crowd against the refugees and asylum seekers during a protest in south Tel Aviv, which was followed by attacks on African immigrants and confrontations with police. A Likud MK called for the prosecution of Israelis giving shelter to Africans.

<snip>

"More than 1,000 Israelis protested this evening (Wednesday) against the African refugees and asylum seekers who have settled in South Tel Aviv in recent years. According to eyewitnesses reports, the crowd grew angry and ultimately violent, following speeches from Knesset Members, including members of the government coalition.

It was one of the most violent protests Tel Aviv has known in recent years. Confrontations were continuing between police and Jewish citizens at around 10:30 p.m. local time.

Dozens of protesters tried to move from the Hatikva neighborhood, where the rally was held, towards Tel Aviv’s Shapira neighborhood, where most African refugees live. They were stopped by police. Protesters attacked a car passing by carrying African immigrants, smashing its windows. Shops associated with the African community were vandalized. (UPDATE: As of midnight, activists in Hatikva are still reporting looting and occasional attacks on Africans.)

In light of increasing violence and harassment in recent days, activists walked refugee children in Tel Aviv home from school on Wednesday in order to prevent them from potential attacks."

http://972mag.com/africans-attacked-in-tel-aviv-protest-mks-infiltrators-are-cancer/46537/

[bemildred]

2. How a Tel Aviv anti-migrant protest spiraled out of control

It started as a legitimate protest, and then it went out of control. The masses understood the message: the time for talking is over - it’s now time to act.

I have been a journalist for ten years. I’ve covered terror attacks, funerals, car accidents, and protests. I’ve seen fury, frustration, despair, and sadness in a variety of places and forms. But I’ve never seen such hatred as it was displayed on Wednesday night in the Hatikva neighborhood. If it weren’t for the police presence, it would have ended in lynching. I have no doubt. Perhaps a migrant worker would have been murdered, perhaps an asylum seeker, or maybe just a passerby in the wrong place at the wrong time.

It started as a legitimate protest. South Tel Aviv residents objected to the government’s policy, or more accurately, the government’s lack of policy. Over the course of a few years, tens of thousands of Africans have made their way into the neighborhoods of south Tel Aviv. Residents call them infiltrators, others call them refugees or asylum seekers. The Africans have made life in south Tel Aviv hellish, according to the residents.

A demonstration of hatred took place on the stage. One after another, residents took the stage to tell horror stories of violence perpetrated by the infiltrators. Some called for extreme action and even violence. “Bibi, I’m taking the law into my own hands,” warned one of the residents. Protest organizers, among them a city councilman, Shlomo Maslawi, attempted to tone it down and calm the crowd. We must not turn to violence, they said.

http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/how-a-tel-aviv-anti-migrant-protest-spiraled-out-of-control-1.432456

[oberliner]

3. Are you a Ha'aretz subscriber?

This seems to be premium content - I cannot access it without registering (beyond the first paragraph).

[bemildred]

4. No, and it came up fine from Google News, where I found it. nt

[shaayecanaan]

5. Israel gets about one fifth the amount of refugees that Spain does...

and in the last 50 years has only granted permanent asylum to about 200 refugees. Its quite a remarkable reaction in the circumstances.

[oberliner]

6. Spain is 25 times bigger than Israel...

With about seven times the population.

And they have had their issues with racism and discrimination against refugees from various African countries over the years, as you are no doubt aware.

Also be curious to know your source of information on the numbers of Sudanese and Eritrean migrants in Spain. Can you point me to where you got that information?

[shaayecanaan]

7. Apparently only 33 000 "infiltrators" have ever crossed into Israel...

according to the Governments own figures...

http://www.knesset.gov.il/mmm/data/pdf/me02765.pdf

By way of comparison, Germany gets about 50 000 asylum applications a year:-

http://www.dw.de/dw/article/0,,15687972,00.html

[oberliner]

8. There are 45,000 asylum seekers currently in Israel

Last edited Mon May 28, 2012, 08:47 AM - Edit history (1)

Approximately 80 percent of them are from Sudan and Eritrea.

The information you've provided is about a year old - in which time another 12,000 have crossed into Israel.

Over the past three years, there has been on average a rate of about 12 or 13 thousand per year, or about one quarter the amount for Germany, a country more than 15 times larger than Israel.

Edit to add:

Looks like I may have underestimated the numbers - this is from CNN:

Government figures say about 60,000 African migrants now reside in Israel, double the figure from 2010, with between 2,000 and 3,000 more arriving each month.

The numbers are enormous for a country the size of Israel. It is roughly equal to the number of illegal immigrants found, for example, in Australia, a country 350 times the size and triple the population of Israel.

http://www.cnn.com/2012/05/28/opinion/ghitis-israel-immigrants/index.html

[oberliner]

9. Special report: Tamil asylum-seekers to be forcibly deported

While we are making comparisons with Europe:

Dozens of Tamil asylum-seekers will be forcibly removed from Britain on a secretive deportation flight today despite credible evidence that they face arrest and retribution on their return.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10881120