Ethiopian Israeli mothers protest police violence

TEL AVIV, Israel – Dozens of mothers are marching through Tel Aviv in a show of rising anger over a police officer’s fatal shooting of an Ethiopian Israeli teenager, which touched off violent protests last week.

Police were out in force as Ethiopian Israeli women and their supporters rallied on Monday, demanding justice for Solomon Tekah, 18, whose death has become a symbol of what the Ethiopian community in Israel describes as a pattern of police brutality and discrimination.

The police officer who shot Tekah remains under investigation by the Justice Ministry.

Street demonstrations had resumed after a seven-day mourning period that follows burial in Jewish tradition.

Israel’s largely impoverished community of Ethiopian immigrants, who make up less than 2% of the population, have long alleged government neglect and routine police harassment.