Israelis of Ethiopian descent protest over police shooting
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Read < 1minuteProtesters stand opposite police during a protest for the death of 18-year-old Solomon Tekah of Ethiopian descent after he was shot by police, in Tel Aviv, Israel July 2, 2019. REUTERS
Thousands of Israelis of Ethiopian descent and their supporters staged sit-down protests at major road junctions throughout the country on Tuesday after a member of the immigrant community was shot dead by police.
On Saturday, 18-year-old Solomon Tekah was shot dead in the northern city of Haifa by an off-duty policeman. The policeman said he drew his gun while trying to intervene in a brawl between two groups of youths, who ended up turning against him.
A police spokesman said the officer who carried out the shooting had been arrested pending an investigation.
Riot police scuffled with some of Tuesday’s protesters in a bid to free up back-logged traffic. A police spokesman said at least 22 people were arrested.
Around 20,000 Ethiopian Jews, who trace their roots to the biblical King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba, were brought to Israel on secret flights in the mid-1980s and early 1990s. But they have at times complained of racist discrimination.
