Thousands of Ethiopian-Israeli Protest Against Police Violence

Thousands of Ethiopian-Israeli protesters demonstrated in Tel Aviv on Wednesday, February 10, against what they described as 'racist' and 'violent' behavior by the police towards them. The protests were reignited following the shooting death of a young man with mental health issues from an Ethiopian family by Israeli police in a city near Tel Aviv. According to Israeli media, 12 days prior, the family of 24-year-old Yehuda Biadga, who suffered from severe mental disorders, called the police to report that Yehuda had entered the neighborhood with a knife but was harmless and should be approached gently. However, upon arrival, police immediately shot Yehuda. The police claimed they 'felt threatened,' a statement that has been vehemently rejected by the family, Ethiopian-Israelis, and their supporters. The Associated Press reported that the family of the young man emphasized that the police killed him solely because of his dark skin and discrimination against this group of residents in Israel, asserting that such behavior would not have occurred with another Israeli. The family of Yehuda and protest supporters stated that this incident was 'the straw that broke the camel's back.' Ethiopian-Israelis, most of whom are second-generation immigrants born in Israel, claim they face daily racial discrimination. This includes separating their postpartum women in hospitals, discarding blood taken from Ethiopian-Israelis, workplace and societal discrimination, and police demands for identification from their youth in streets, along with a high number of Ethiopian youth in prisons. Gilad Erdan, the Minister of Public Security and Internal Security, visited Yehuda's family last Friday to offer condolences. However, Israeli media reported that the minister informed the media of his visit rather than the family, and when he arrived, only two family members were present. The minister stated he would return another day to meet the entire family. The protest on Wednesday, which was predominantly attended by young Ethiopian-Israelis, blocked the Ayalon Highway, which connects Tel Aviv to other cities, for several hours. Cultural and artistic figures, as well as civil activists, have recently joined the protesting immigrants' campaign. Many prominent Israeli actors featured in a video asking the police, 'If I were Yehuda, would you have shot me?' There are approximately 150,000 Ethiopian-Israelis, 60% of whom were born in Israel. Israel began the immigration of Falashmura Jews from Ethiopia in 1977. However, it was only after long political and social campaigns by these immigrants and their supporters that Jewish religious institutions in Israel agreed to recognize these individuals as Jews. Despite the many challenges faced by Ethiopian-Israelis, the Israeli government has decided to bring the last remaining groups of Falashmura generations from Africa to Israel by 2020.