Nakba rally ends with riot
Nakba rally ends with clashes between police officers, demonstrators; five
officers, several protesters injured. Balad's MK Wasil Taha taken to
hospital
Sharon Roffe-Ofir Latest YNET Update: 05.08.08, 21:21 / Israel News
www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3541026,00.html

While Israel was busy celebrating its 60 years of independence, Israeli
Arabs chose to mark the 60th year of the Nakba in a mass rally attended by
all Arab Knesset members, as well as public figures such as the Head of the
Northern Branch of the Islamic Movement in Israel, Ra'ad Salah, and Shawki
Khatib, Head of Higher Arab Monitoring Committee.

The march, traditionally marking the expulsion of Palestinian refugees from
their land during the War of Independence, led protestors from Nazareth
towards the deserted ruins of the village of Suffurriye - today's Zippori.

Upon closure, clashes broke out between police forces and demonstrators.
Northern Region District Commander Shimon Koren and Brigadier Zohar Dvir
were injured.

Three more officers were injured in the clashes, as well as a few Arab
demonstrators, including Balad's MK Wasil Taha. Taha reportedly told his
aides that he was struck by Police Special Patrol Unit officers. He was
taken to the Italian hospital in Nazareth along with his 16-year-old son who
was also reportedly injured.

The police arrested six Arab demonstrators. The rally's organizers will be
called in for questioning.

"It all happened when I tried to send the police away and calm the situation
down," Taha told Ynet. "I saw a police officer in civilian clothing.He hit
me three times on the head. They evacuated me to hospital. ..There were also
provocations by the (Israeli) rightists, but the police did nothing to stop
them."

Police violence? MK Wasil Taha (Photo: Hagai Aharon)

The police claims that the demonstrators wild incitement seeking
provocations that caused the riots. However, the rally attendants, including
Hadash Chairman MK Mohammad Barakeh said that the riots were caused because
the police did allow the rally-goers to properly disperse.

Barakeh: "The police was nasty to the demonstrators, expecting them to
simply vanish. I condemn the police's behavior. The event was perfectly
organized, only the police prepared itself for provocation against the
mass."

"When the rally was granted permission its organizers gave their explicit
obligation to avoid provocation. Unfortunately, the organizers were not able
to control the wild incitement," said Koren.

According to him, the riots began when If You Will group, Israel's largest
volunteer student and young adult movement, who was picnicking across the
road, raised the Israeli Flag. The participants asked them to lower the flag
and the two sides began to exchange words that led to a violent clash.

First Published: 05.08.08, 19:18