Police chief: No arrests at Flag March so far; disturbances are 'on the fringes of the fringes'

Police chief Danny Levy arrives to Damascus Gate as thousands of Jerusalem Day revelers enter the Old City’s Muslim Quarter.

The top cop tells Kan public broadcaster that police have made no arrests so far, but have detained some. Last year, police made 18 arrests over the course of the Flag March.

Levy says that “on the fringes of the fringes, there are a handful of people who try to harm the joy and ceremoniousness” of the parade, but that “99% is passing quietly.”

When asked about the anti-Arab refrains and songs heard from marchers, he tells i24News that he did not hear any racist songs.

“Maybe I didn’t hear them because I’m an artilleryman,” he says jokingly to the outlet.

Levy shakes hands with marchers and is approached by two boys, one of whom tells him he wants to be a policeman when he is older.

He pats them on the shoulders and says: “You can enlist in the police when you’re older. You don’t have to, but you can.”

The last of the marchers are currently entering Damascus Gate and heading towards the Western Wall, where the parade concludes.