An investigation published by Kikar HaShabbat says recent footage from Haredi protests shows police repeatedly violating procedure, including firing stun grenades directly at demonstrators and causing serious head and facial injuries. The report says the pattern appears not in general policing, but specifically in protests by Haredim, raising questions about unequal treatment.
The article focuses on demonstrations linked to the committee to save the world of Torah and on Wednesday’s protest on Route 4, where police were filmed ripping the pants of Haredi protesters. In one clip, a yeshiva student is said to have been hit by a stun grenade fired straight at the crowd and later taken to hospital. In another, a policeman is seen turning off his body camera before throwing a stun grenade directly at protesters. A third video shows senior officers standing together before what the report says was a direct throw that injured multiple people.
Under police rules, stun grenades are not supposed to be aimed directly at people. They are meant to be thrown into the air or onto the ground so they explode at a safe distance, the report says. It adds that the incidents violate this rule systematically at Haredi demonstrations. After Wednesday’s unrest, the Tel Aviv district commander suspended a policeman who was filmed kicking a Haredi protester, and police said some officers acted outside the rules.
Attorney Menachem Shtauber had already sent a letter to Police Commissioner Daniel Levy complaining about excessive violence against Haredi demonstrators, but no response was received before the latest incidents. The report also quotes Jerusalem Faction figures accusing police of targeting Haredim and asks, “Is this a Jewish state?” Police later released footage of a Haredi man attacking a female investigator during the evacuation, saying he was arrested. The article says police may be trying to create symmetry and deflect criticism from the officers’ conduct.
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