Israelis of Ethiopian origin have long complained of discrimination and police brutality
At least 46 police and seven protesters were hurt, officials said. Dozens of protesters were arrested, police said.One demonstrator told Israel's Channel 10 television channel: "Our parents were humiliated for years."We are not prepared to wait any longer to be recognised as equal citizens. It may take a few months, but it will happen."Tel Aviv police chief Yohanan Danino told Channel 10: "The use of violence by a small minority of the many protesters does not serve their struggle."Whoever harms police or civilians will be brought to justice.
''Ethiopian Jews living in Israel have long complained of discrimination, and similar protests in 2012 followed reports that some Israeli landlords were refusing to rent out their properties to Ethiopian Jews.Ethiopian Israeli Jews' income is considerably lower than the general population, and they are much more likely to face limited educational opportunities and to end up in prison, according to The Ethiopian National Project, a non-governmental organisation which assists Ethiopian Jews in Israel.Tens of thousands of Ethiopian Jews were airlifted to Israel in secret operations in the 1980s and 1990s to escape famine and civil war. There are now around 135,000 Ethiopian Jews living in Israel.