A video circulating on social media has sparked outrage in Israel, showing police officers violently beating ultra-Orthodox Jewish (Haredi) protesters with batons and kicking them.
The footage, taken in Beit Shemesh near Jerusalem on Monday, prompted an official response from authorities.
The protesters had gathered outside a center where a conference was being held on integrating Haredi Jews into the workforce. In the video, one police officer can be heard saying, “We have approval,” before launching into a brutal assault on the demonstrators.
According to Israeli news outlet Walla, “Prior to the police intervention, the protesters had smashed the center’s doors, spat on women, and chanted slogans such as ‘Death to the Israeli army.'”
תיעוד סוער וקשה: שוטרים מכים בעוצמה בעזרת אלות בקבוצת החרדים הקיצונים המפגינים מול מתנ"ס דורות בשכונת רמת בית שמש ד' מול אירוע המתקיים שלא לרוחם במקום • צפו: pic.twitter.com/KHM3BzPvpb
— בית שמש חדשות (@shemeshnews) September 23, 2024
Official Response
Israeli Police Commissioner Dany Levy stated, “The police take the incident that occurred on Monday evening in Beit Shemesh seriously, as it goes against our values. Therefore, I have ordered an immediate investigation into the circumstances, including the behavior of the leadership and officers involved in the incident.”
The police later announced that the officers seen attacking the Haredi protesters had been suspended from their operational duties.
In its statement, the police acknowledged, “From an initial review of the video footage, it appears that the officers’ actions during the incident do not align with the standards expected of them as police officers.”
The statement concluded that “as a result, at this stage, the involved officers and leaders will be removed from their operational duties pending administrative review.”
