Protesters demand justice after Hilltop Youth killed while fleeing police
Otzma Yehudit leader Itamar Ben-Gvir slammed police, complaining that had the 19-year-old been a Bedouin from Rahat, the officers wouldn't have chased him.
By JERUSALEM POST STAFFUpdated: DECEMBER 22, 2020 00:24Protesters demand justice for Ahuvia Sandak, a 19-year-old from the Hilltop Youth movement who was killed by police, Jerusalem, December 21, 2020(photo credit: ISRAEL POLICE)
Some 200 protesters gathered outside the Police National Headquarters in Jerusalem and confronted police officers while trying to breach the building on Monday evening after the death of a youth fleeing police earlier in the day.Protesters reportedly shouted "murderers" towards the officers, protesting against police brutality that they claim led to the death of Ahuvia Sandak. Some 40 protesters were arrested by police. "We are here because they murdered our brother today, not because we like to block roads," cried the protesters, as reported by N12. Later into the night, a few protesters began to throw rocks at the nearby policemen, leaving one with a head wound. He's since received medical treatment.The wounded Border Police officer at the protests, December 21, 2020. Sandak, a 19-year-old from the Hilltop Youth movement was killed Monday morning after his vehicle flipped over while he was fleeing from police near Kokhav HaShahar in the West Bank, Israel Police reported. Police arrived at the scene after receiving reports that passengers in an Israeli vehicle were throwing rocks at a Palestinian vehicle.The police ordered the Israeli vehicle to pull over and the driver attempted to escape from the scene.The vehicle flipped over near the Rimonim Junction leading to the death of one of the passengers.The four other passengers in the car were injured lightly and claimed that the cause of the accident was police slamming into them with the police car, KAN News reported.
The young man was from the West Bank settlement of Kedumim. Otzma Yehudit leader Itamar Ben-Gvir slammed police, complaining that had the 19-year-old been a Bedouin from Rahat, the officers wouldn't have chased him.Ben-Gvir, who is also a lawyer, argued that the chase was not called for since the officers on the scene allegedly knew who all the passengers in the car were. He called on the Knesset to hold an inquiry into police conduct in the West Bank. The right-wing NGO Honenu argued that the passengers were cuffed before being taken to hospital despite their injuries, N12 reported. Police denied allegations of cuffing the wounded or ramming into the civilian car, claiming that it was the "wild driving" of the person behind the wheel which led to the chase and the vehicle flipping over.MK Betzalel Smotrich (Tekuma) was removed from the scene by the police, which led to Knesset Speaker Yariv Levin slamming the officers present for allegedly violating the immunity he enjoys as a member of parliament.Levin claimed that this "badly harms the ability of an MK to carry out his public duty," adding that, in a democracy, such police action shouldn't be tolerated.
