Anti-racism head to police: Control racist remarks after Tekah incident
Tekah’s killing shook the country, and led to nationwide protests by the Ethiopian community about dangerous discrimination by police and racism against Ethiopians.
By YONAH JEREMY BOBA protester confronts a policeman during a demonstration in Tel Aviv on July 2 over the shooting death of 19-year-old Ethiopian- Israeli Solomon Tekah(photo credit: CORINNA KERN/REUTERS)
Aweke Zena, head of the government unit to coordinate the struggle against racism, called on acting Police chief Moti Cohen to restrain current and former police officials from making racist comments in the aftermath of the Solomon Tekah incident.State Attorney Shai Nitzan announced in November that he will likely file an indictment for negligent homicide against the policeman who shot and killed Tekah in June.Tekah’s killing shook the country, and led to nationwide protests by the Ethiopian community about dangerous discrimination by police and racism against Ethiopians.The incident, and perhaps the criticism of policemen, led to police officials (former officials, and possibly some current ones) to make racist comments against Ethiopians on social media and elsewhere. Zena reported a significant number of comments by former officials who referred to Ethiopians with animalistic metaphors and said they should “return home to Africa.”The anti-racism head called on Cohen to take stronger action to reign in the racist attacks.
