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Cop breaks glasses of journalist who recorded his alleged violence at soccer stadium

21 January 2024, 3:18 am 1 Edit

A journalist is apparently attacked by a police officer, breaking his glasses, after filming a violent altercation between the cop and several soccer fans during a game at Jerusalem’s Teddy Stadium.

The match between Hapoel Jerusalem and Hapoel Beersheba features officers raiding the stands to enforce anti-smoking rules, with footage showing violent clashes and apparent police violence.

Haaretz reporter Chaim Levinson publishes footage showing what he says is an officer in civilian clothing “going wild and beating” fans, before he walks up to the man and asks him if he’s a cop.

The cop then “jumped on me, strangled me so I couldn’t breathe, took my glasses and slammed them against the gate,” breaking them and his cylindrical lenses, which Levinson says are worth NIS 2,000 ($530).

Police say cops were attacked, with one hurt in the eye, and that one fan was arrested on suspicion of assaulting an officer, with three others taken out of the stadium for “wild behavior.”

“Alongside this unacceptable behavior, it turns out that during the incident, one of the fans who was nearby and wasn’t involved in the incident recorded it, and his glasses were broken due to use of force by a police detective toward him,” police say in a statement. “The conduct in this case will be examined and taken care of accordingly.”

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