Mohamed Hussein Abu Khdeir: kidnapped and burned alive.
This climate of state sponsored racism (Israeli politicians now refer to African immigrants as 'Infiltrators') has filtered through into the body politic and the blood of Israeli society. 'Price Tagging', the local term for acts of random violence against Palestinians, has been broadened to describe a general trend toward racial assaults across Israel. Not surprisingly, there has been a stunning escalation of late in racial violence on non-Jewish citizens, particularly by teenage and young Israelis.
The Tel Aviv Race Riots
Tel Aviv is one of the most liberal, multi cultural areas of Israel. Yet in May 2012, thousands of protesters were addressed by politicians from mainstream political parties in outrage at 60,000 asylum seekers arriving in Israel in recent years.
Leading politicians queued to slam non-Jews.
Miri Regev, a member of the ruling Likud party told the crowds that asylum seekers are a "cancer in our body," and promised to do everything "in order to bring them back to where they belong".
This racist crowd, sufficiently whipped up by the politicians then proceeded to go on a rampage of racially motivated violence. Dozens of African immigrants were injured. Witnesses reported seeing men and women being beaten in the streets, whilst properties and shops were also attacked. This riot is hauntingly reminiscent of Nazi Germany's Kristallnacht, where Jews were attacked in the streets, and their businesses were destroyed in an orgy of hate-fuelled violence sanctioned by the state. It was fascist then and it is fascist now.
