Dispatch from Zion Square: August 26, 2012; ~4:00-5:00 am – continued violence and refusal of the Israel Police to restore public peace and welfare.

The situation in the Square, by the opinions of other regulars in the Square as well, represents serious escalation of violence, apparently by choice of the Israel Police...



[pic]~ 04:30am - the police
then stopped a couple of Jewish youths, apparently as suspect participants in
the conduct, and started arguing with them, while the police were sitting in
the car, and the Jewish youths standing outside their front window. The
Jewish youths started yelling at the police, and the police then let them go.

View videos:

[1] 12-08-26 Zion Square: August 26, 2012; 04:30am - police let Jewish
youths go after an argument

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WBLsfu_Q5AM

[2] 12-08-26 Zion Square: August 26, 2012; 04:35am - Russian Orthodox
procession

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bHgPtdbDCSs

[3] 12-08-26 Zion Square: August 26, 2012; ~50:00am Ambulance and drunk,
rowdy Jewish youths

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nXsyim6nuEE

View as PDF: http://www.scribd.com/doc/103961831/



Zion Square, Jerusalem, August 26 - disorderly conduct in Zion Square,
Jerusalem continues, as does Israel Police refusal to establish public peace
and welfare:

· ~ 04:00am, while there was no
uniformed police in the Square, a group of Jewish youth started fighting in the
Square. Then one of the them started running away towards Rav Kook St,
with some 10 others chasing him.

· I called police, complaining about
violence in Zion Square.

· Some 10 minutes later, police car
came rolling in on Jaffa Rd.

· ~ 04:30am - the police then stopped
a couple of Jewish youths, apparently as suspect participants in the conduct,
and started arguing with them, while the police were sitting in the car, and
the Jewish youths standing outside their front window. The Jewish youths
started yelling at the police, and the police then let them go.

· Two minutes later, police were gone.

· ~ 04:35am - some 5 minutes later, a
procession of Russian orthodox priests, nuns, and lay persons crossed the
Square.

· ~ 05:00am - groups of drunk, rowdy
Jewish youths are roaming the Square, ambulance arrived, no uniformed police in
sight.

ANNOTATIONS:

1) Some of the Jewish youths
involved were old enough to be indistinguishable from undercover police or
operated affiliates.

2) I am yet to see a situation that police stop Arabs in the Square, as
suspects in involvement in violence, or any other reason, while police remain
in the car, the Arabs remain outside, the Arabs argue with police,
and get away with it...

3) I am yet to see a Russian Orthodox nun or priest crossing the Square by
ones, particularly after dark. The fact that they only move in groups is
likely to be related to security procedures that they had to implement.
Recently you also see nuns walking with big dogs, or sticks.

4) It was Saturday night, again - with no uniformed police in
sight. Police is determined in its refusal for over a year, through
murder, serious violent attacks and disorder, not to position uniformed
police at nights on the weekends.

5) The situation in the Square, by the opinions of other regulars in the Square
as well, represents serious escalation of violence, apparently by choice of the
Israel Police.

_______________

Joseph Zernik, PhD

Human Rights Alert (NGO)