TEL AVIV: Dozens of people have been wounded, including some from live gunfire, during clashes between Israeli police and Eritrean asylum seekers in Tel Aviv, Western media reported on Saturday.
Stun bullets and tear gas were used against protesters in the city. The turbulence was sparked following activists opposed to the Eritrean government said they asked Israel to cancel an event on Saturday. The protesters also clashed with supporters of the Eritrean regime in Tel Aviv.
Israel: Over 100 Wounded in Clashes Between Protesters, Police
According to news reports the streets of Tel Aviv sounded like a conflict zone as police helicopters buzzed overhead and Israeli officials fired live rounds into the air.
Clashes also took place between the police and the protestors, also damaged vehicles and shattered the windows of nearby businesses. Videos and footage shared on different social media platforms also showed street battles between Eritreans and police.
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Emergency medical service told the media that it had treated more than 114 injured people after the clashes. It said that 30 police personnel were also injured during the clashes.
Earlier, in 2019, one asylum seeker was fatally stabbed in south Tel Aviv amid a turf war between the two groups. It is assessed that there are around 18,000 asylum seekers from Eritrea in Israel. BBC reported that as Eritrea marks 30-year of independence from Ethiopia, several festivals have been organized by its diaspora.
Israel, Europe and North America have been marred by protest demonstrations and outbreaks of violence in August, a three-day Eritrean cultural festival in Toronto, was cancelled following opponents and supporters of Eritrea’s regime clashed.
