Police detained Att. Shadi Shweiry, the former head of Kafr Yasif Regional Council and leading Hadash activist, on Saturday, January 24, at a local protest against violent crime in Arab communities. The protesters, several of them bereaved relatives of homicide victims, chanted, “stop the crime” and “our children’s blood isn’t cheap.”
The police also detained Hendia Saghir, a member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Israel. She directs its activities in the coastal city of Acre and surrounding area. Saghir urged police to “collect weapons and pursue the criminal gangs that have infiltrated the Arab community,” saying they bore responsibility for the massive uptick in violent crime. She called on Arab citizens to continue protesting and not let up until “tangible results are achieved.”
Police reported that during the demonstration, protesters blocked Route 70 and “used violence against officers.” Among those demonstrating was the family of Nabil Safiya, a 15-year-old boy who was shot and killed in November by stray bullets during an evening outing in the town.
The detention of Att. Shadi Shweiry, the former head of Kafr Yasif Regional Council and leading Hadash activist, on Saturday, January 24, at the local protest against violent crime in Arab communities (Photo: Hadash)
Hadash condemned the arrest, “Shweiry is a respected leader who has been working for the public for years,” their statement read. “Our struggle against violence and crime in Arab society will continue and will not be stopped by arrests and intimidation by the Ben-Gvir police.” Shweiry was violently arrested by police in an attack on the right to protest,” Hadash says.
“At the same time comrade Shweiry was arrested, there was another murder in Nazareth,” said Hadash MK Ofer Cassif, who attended the protest. “But there the police aren’t present; they are present against the protesters, not against the crime.” A man was shot and killed Saturday evening in Nazareth, as hundreds of Arab citizens in the northern city took to the streets to protest the violent crime wave racking the community. The victim, 37-year-old Jamal Mazawi, was found by medics with severe injuries. They took him to the hospital in Nazareth, but he soon succumbed to his wounds.
After news spread of Mazawi’s violent death, more protesters gathered in Nazareth to condemn the killing, holding signs calling on police to get guns off the streets. Meanwhile, hundreds of residents of Sakhnin formed a human chain along the town’s main road, lit torches and held black flags, demanding law enforcement rein in the violence. In addition, the High Follow-Up Committee has called another massive Arab-Jewish rally to be held in Tel Aviv on Saturday next week.
Related: https://maki.org.il/en/?p=33208
