While separate election campaigns are slowly emerging, with each faction trying to convince the public of their capacity to bring about change primarily on domestic issues; a few thousands of Israeli demonstrators took to the streets to protest “policy brutality,” following the death of an Israeli man from Ethiopian descent. While the 24-year-old Yehuda Biadga was shot dead by police officers, after he rushed towards them with a knife in hand; Israelis of the Ethiopian community in the Jewish state accused police of using lethal force against the man because of his skin color, rather than seeking to neutralize the attacker, who was later classified as suffering from a mental illness. According to Menver, an Israeli protester, “Today we are protesting against police brutality, we feel, and we see on the field that somehow, we don’t know the reason, we call it racism, but our community are hurt.” Michal Avara Samwel, an additional protester, added said “We are here today to protest against the violence about our community. Last week been killed by police one of the Ethiopian Israeli adult. Killed by police and today we are here to protest and to say no more violence against us. We are here, we had so many years dreaming to be a part of the Israeli society and today we are saying no more violence against us.”
Israeli Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said that police forces were dispatched to the scene to assure the situation remains calm in one of the busiest neighborhoods of the central city of Tel Aviv. Rosenfeld stated that “This unit is in Tel Aviv are on standby to respond to any types of incidents that could take place, disturbances or on any other scale and there is after there is a demonstration taking place by the Ethiopian community. Prior to the demonstration police units met with the leaders of the communities in order to make sure the situation will be calm and quiet by units who respond to any incidents if they take place whatsoever.” While the protest, for the most-part remained orderly, a group of the demonstrators attempted to block a highway and scuffled with riot police. A police statement said that 11 demonstrators were arrested as a result and that six police officers sustained minor injuries.