Over 25 arrested as far-right protesters burn tires, stone police in Jerusalem

Police arrested over 25 people on Saturday night in Jerusalem as hundreds of nationalist activists rioted over the death of a settler teen during a police chase last year.

Ahuvia Sandak, 16, was killed in a car crash while fleeing from police in December 2020, allegedly after throwing rocks at Palestinians. The protesters blame police for his death and demand legal action.

Sandak’s death has become a rallying car for nationalist youths. Protests over the incident have repeatedly escalated into violence and arrests.

Close to 400 youths rioted near the capital’s Chords Bridge overnight Saturday-Sunday in a protest marking the upcoming anniversary of Sandak’s death.

The activists burned tires and hurled objects, including stones and eggs, at police officers. They disrupted public order, blocked traffic into Jerusalem and blocked the capital’s light rail trains, police said.

At least one officer was sprayed in the face with pepper spray.

Police used riot dispersal means to clear the streets of the rioters.

After the protest, Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Lion demanded police stop the use of foul-smelling “skunk water” to disperse rioters, saying it damaged homes and the environment.

“The protest takes place for a few hours, and afterward, the whole neighborhood suffers from the skunk smell all week, despite lots of cleaning by the municipality, and this happens week after week,” Lion said.

Ahuvia Sandak, who was killed when his car flipped over while being chased by police in the West Bank on December 21, 2020. (Courtesy)

Sandak’s death has sparked repeated clashes between police and protesters over the past year, mainly in Jerusalem.

Sandak, a resident of the Bat Ayin settlement, was fleeing Border Police in a car with three other youths on December 21, 2020, when the car flipped over, killing him.

According to police, Sandak’s group fled from police before losing control of their vehicle. Sandak’s defenders view his death as a police killing; they allege that the police car hit his vehicle from behind, causing it to run off the road.

The Knesset voted to investigate the death last month.