African migrants protest in Israel
Print Edition
Thousands of African migrants in Israel marched up to the embassies of the United States and European countries yesterday to demand asylum and work rights from the government.
Some waved their national flags while others carried makeshift cardboard signs reading, “freedom, not prison,” and “nobody chooses to be a refugee.”
About 60,000 African migrants, mostly from Sudan and Eritrea, have made the long journey trekking through Egypt and other Muslim countries to reach Israel in recent years. Some have fled violence or oppression in their home countries while others have sought a better life.
About 10,000 people took part in yesterday’s march, police said. The migrants, some of whom are menial laborers in Israel, have been on a three-day strike. On Sunday, more than 13,000 rallied in central Tel Aviv.
The migrant influx has sparked tensions with some Israelis who blame them for thefts, violent crimes and for transforming the Jewish identity of some neighborhoods.
Dawit Domuz from Eritrea told Israel Radio he had escaped danger in his home country to reach the Jewish state. “They should grant us basic rights until we can return to our countries,” he said in perfect Hebrew.
Tel Aviv Deputy Mayor Arnon Giladi told the station that the migrants arrived in Israel for financial reasons.
“They are not refugees,” Giladi said. “They are economic migrants, they are not more than that.”
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