JERUSALEM (VINnews) — During clashes which broke out at the tomb of Rashbi at Meron Wednesday evening, a number of demonstrators from the Toldos Avraham Yitzchak chasidic group were arrested. Clips of the arrest released to social media have caused an uproar, as they show a policeman brutally hitting and injuring a demonstrator, using unrestrained force and causing him severe facial bleeding.
Police claimed that some extremist elements started rioting and damaging equipment including loudspeakers and other new infrastructure at the site. Protesters allegedly defied police orders, spat and shouted epithets at them and refused to leave the site.
However the documented arrest by policeman Michael Jino, who is apparently responsible for order at Meron year round, shows excessive force. Jino lies on the detainee and hits him until he starts bleeding, despite protests by distraught onlookers.
זהירות, סרטון קשה לצפייה מהיום במירון. pic.twitter.com/aP2L2l1Yfv
— אריאל אלחרר (@ariel_elharar_) May 11, 2022
The detainee was taken to Rambam hospital in Haifa for treatment accompanied by a policeman who stayed with him during the course of his stay.
MK Itamar Ben-Gvir responded to the police violence, stating that “Police use strong-arm tactics against chareidim and weakness towards terrorists. We don’t see what happened before in the clips and the demonstrator may have irritated the police officer but on Temple Mount they displayed restraint against petrol bomb throwers and then they lose it against chareidim in Meron as if they were punching bags. Such scenes should not repeat themselves again. Internal Investigations must investigate the shocking behavior of the police officer.