Police said they arrested at least 18 people during tonight’s demonstrations against the war with Iranwith law enforcement violently dispersing protests in several major cities.
Among those arrested were 13 demonstrators in Tel Aviv and five in Haifa. Protests are also taking place in Jerusalem and Beersheba, the Times of Israel reported.
The demonstrations are the first time anti-government groups have taken part in protests against the ongoing war. During the first few weeks of the conflict, such demonstrations were organized and attended almost entirely by left-wing activists.
During the Haifa protest, which drew about 100 people, demonstrators waved Israeli flags while chanting against the ongoing fighting. One of the protesters held a placard that read: “Millions of children grow up in bomb shelters.”
The police report that some participants have tried to block a roadprompting the scene commander to declare the assembly illegal.
Police in Haifa claimed to have arrested the offenders, although at least two of those detained did not appear to be blocking traffic at the time of their arrest, as seen in footage of the protest.
Police dispersed a similar demonstration in Tel Aviv’s Habima Square after it was declared illegal in light of Home Front Command military regulations that limit outdoor public gatherings to 50 people.
“During an on-site assessment of the situation with a representative of the Home Front Command… it was determined that there was a real danger to human life and as a result the Chief of Police in the area Yarkon Tzahi Sharabi ordered the assembly to disperse“, reported the police.
After the demonstration in Tel Aviv ended, border police were seen violently pushing participants who were walking on the sidewalk.
Earlier, police officers were also seen in Habima Square grabbing the hands of Hadash-Taal chairman Ayman Odeh, despite his parliamentary immunity. In another case, a police officer grabbed a middle-aged man by the shirt and threw him to the ground.
