Ben Gvir says he’s weighing punishing cops who tore pants of Haredi protesters

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir says he is weighing punitive action against the Bnei Brak police station commander and other officers after they were filmed tearing the pants of Haredi protesters and dragging them across the road last week.

The minister pens a letter to Police Commissioner Danny Levy this morning, warning him that he is considering action to dismiss or suspend Ch. Supt. Yuval Shavit and other officers at the station following their violent dispersal of an anti-draft demonstration Wednesday morning.

Officers deployed to deal with the protest used stun grenades and batons to clear ultra-Orthodox demonstrators blocking Route 4 during rush hour, arresting five and injuring at least eight.

הפרגוד: מפקד תחנת ב"ב/רמת גן סנ"צ יובל שביט קורע מכנסים לאברך בהפגנת הפלג בכביש גהה pic.twitter.com/pgySWsAVjc

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In the letter to Levy obtained by the Kan public broadcaster, Ben Gvir laments that police were seen “throwing stun grenades, apparently against regulations, directly at protesters and dragging protesters on the road while ripping their pants, leaving them only in underwear.” Another policeman, he adds, was filmed kicking a protester in the head.

Shavit was one of several officers who, during the dispersal, grabbed protesters by their legs and ripped their pants, before dragging them by their ankles to the side of the highway.

After footage of police throwing stun grenades directly at protesters spread on social media, Ben Gvir said officers should only employ the crowd control weapon in “exceptional cases” — despite having endorsed similar measures against anti-government protesters.