Far-right march sparks rioting

About 28 people were injured in rioting sparked by a far-right march near the Israeli-Arab town of Umm al-Fahm in northern Israel on March 24.

Some 100 far-right wing demonstrators, led by Knesset member Michael Ben-Ari of the National Union Party and two right-wing activists, marched for less an hour.

Critics of the march said the event was a ruse to inflame tensions by calling into doubt Arab residents’ status as full citizens of Israel.

Stone-throwing counter-demonstrators wounded 15 policemen, and 12 Israeli-Arab Umm al-Fahm residents were hurt in scuffles with police, Ha’aretz reported. Knesset member Ilan Ghilon of the left-wing Meretz Party, who took part in a counter-demonstration, was injured by tear gas fired by police.

More than 2,500 police were deployed in Israel’s largest Arab city to secure the march, which was approved by Israel’s Supreme Court. Police used tear gas and stun grenades to disperse what they called an unauthorized counter-protest by left-wingers and Umm al-Fahm residents. The right-wing protesters, who said they just wanted to wave the Israeli flag and exercise their freedom of speech,  traveled to the demonstration in bullet-proof buses. — jta