“I Tried to Protect Her—He Pushed Me Too”: Mother Describes Police Violence Against Her and Daughters at Bnei Brak Protest

A chareidi mother who was forcefully shoved along with her daughters by police officers during a protest in Bnei Brak has spoken out sharply against what she described as police brutality, following the circulation of disturbing footage from the incident.

In an interview with Yaakov Grodka on Kol Barama Radio, the woman recounted the moments shown in the video, which spread widely on social media. “Nazis! Anyone who drags a small child along the road and pushes a mother who is trying to protect her. I have no other word for him,” she said. “He violently pulled my daughter when we were standing on a traffic island into the road. She’s a small child, she started crying, and when I tried to protect her, he pushed me too, and my other daughter as well.”

The mother stressed that she and her daughters were not participants in the demonstration. “We weren’t part of the protest. We came to shop and were standing on the side with our bags,” she said. “My daughter was just filming, and suddenly a police officer appeared out of nowhere and dragged us by force.”

The footage shows the mother and her daughter attempting to cross the road amid the protest in Bnei Brak. Police officers at the scene are seen using force against them, initially striking the mother and then pushing her without apparent cause, in full view of her daughter, who was also shoved.

In response to the video, Israel Police issued a statement rejecting the characterization of the incident. “These were not innocent women, but two women who were present at an illegal protest that led to the blocking of a road and disruption of public order,” police said. According to the statement, one of the women shouted insults at officers—calling them “Nazis”—and pushed a camera into an officer’s face. “Israel Police will continue to maintain public order and prevent harm to freedom of movement for road users,” the statement added.

{Matzav.com}