CNN –
Israeli authorities said dozens of people were injured in Tel Aviv on Saturday as hundreds of supporters and opponents of the Eritrean government clashed with each other and with Israeli police.
Israeli emergency service Magen David Adom (MDA) said more than 114 people were treated for injuries, including dozens of police officers. Eight of the injuries were serious, MDA said in a statement.
Israeli police later said 49 officers were injured and 39 people were arrested. Police officers, feeling threatened, fired live ammunition while clearing the crowd, they said. It was not immediately clear whether the day’s injuries were caused by live police fire.
Videos on social media showed Eritrean government supporters clashing with anti-government protesters.
Eritreans make up the majority of African asylum seekers in Israel.
Israeli police fired stun grenades to disperse the crowd, while some protesters threw stones at police and set garbage containers on fire.
“Large forces of the Israeli Police and Border Police have been prepared for the planned protest… and a place and time for the protest have been determined,” a Tel Aviv police statement said.
“However, the demonstrators arrived very early and began to disrupt public order…some of the lawbreakers committed serious violence and vandalism on the city streets.”
“During these difficult events, police officers, sensing an imminent threat to their lives, opened live fire while extricating themselves from the approaching crowd.”
“At this point, police have restored order in south Tel Aviv and large police forces are preparing for further arrests and ensuring the safety and peace of the public in south Tel Aviv.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was informed of the unrest on Saturday and “ordered the restoration of order,” his office said in a statement.
“Following the serious unrest in Tel Aviv, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has decided to convene a special ministerial team to consider measures against illegal intruders involved in the unrest, including steps towards deportation,” the statement said.
The ministerial team will meet tomorrow at the Prime Minister’s Office in Jerusalem, the statement added.