Violating orders: Police pepper-spray non-violent civilians

[Jefferson23]

Published:
4 Apr 2013

On Friday, 22 February 2013, the weekly demonstration in the village of a-Nabi Saleh, Ramallah District, West Bank, took place. These weekly demonstrations have been held in the village since December 2009 to protest both the Israeli occupation as well as the takeover by settlers of the nearby al-Qus spring.

Bilal a-Tamimi lives in a-Nabi Saleh and is a volunteer photographer with the B’Tselem camera project. He was filming the demonstration as he has done for the past three years. In his testimony to a B’Tselem field researcher, he recounted the following events:

Bilal a-TamimiAbout ten border policemen were pursuing the demonstrators. I followed them with the camera. I didn’t interfere, I only filmed. I was wearing a vest marked “Press” to make it clear that I’m a photographer. I have experience in how to behave and how to film this type of events according to the military’s specifications. I’ve been filming for over three years and I know what’s permitted and what’s not. Suddenly one of the policemen came over to me and ordered me to stop filming. I argued with him, saying that there’s no reason not to allow filming. He asked his officer if he could remove me from the area. I know the officer from previous demonstrations and he knows me. The officer told the other policemen: “Let him be.”

The policemen let me be and went down into the valley. Then another group of policemen arrived on the scene. One of them came over to me. He was holding a pepper-spray canister and started shouting at me in Hebrew. He ordered me to move away from the troops and said, “You can film, but don’t come near the troops.” I told him: “Did you hear what the officer said?” And then, without any warning, he pepper-sprayed my eyes and face. It stung and smarted, but I managed to keep the camera rolling. Another policeman came over and threw a stun grenade in my direction. Then the policemen moved away.

in full: http://www.btselem.org/demonstrations/20130404_police_use_of_pepper_spray