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29.9.03

“Who would have thought that in Tel Aviv of 2003, we would be having to protect ourselves against the very people who are supposed to be protecting us?”  said Alon Strikovsky, chairman of the Agudah (the Israeli LGBT Association) to GayMiddleEast.com, “the community is responding, but slowly.  People simply don’t believe that something like this could happen.  And yet we don’t have the financial or human resources to spread the word fast enough or more efficiently.  We are pleased with the way things are going, though it’s all happening on a shoestring budget.”

On September 16, 2003, the LGBT community of Tel Aviv has set up a task force to help combat homophobic activity perpetrated by members of the Israel Police Force.  The step comes in the wake of an unprecedented surge in brutal, unprovoked attacks by police officers against homosexuals in Tel Aviv, and in light of the apparent unwillingness of authorities to investigate this activity.

The emergency meeting was called after some 20 homosexuals were injured in an unprovoked attack by police officers at the city’s Independence Park over recent months.  Although complaints have been made about similar attacks in the past, most of the files have been closed by the Police Investigations Unit due to “lack of public interest”.

The community’s rage was directed at the nature and severity of the attack, calling on the police force to do its job and protect the community rather than striking out against it.

The task force, set up as a result of this meeting, plans to bring the issue of police violence against the LGBT community into the public eye, whilst at the same time, attempting to protect the community against these acts.  For this reason, a volunteer group has been set up to patrol the Independence Park, armed with digital cameras in order to photograph any police officer involved in violent activity against members of the community.  The police continue to raid the Park on an almost nightly basis, but tend to turn away at the sight of the cameras.  Since the task force began patrolling the park, there have been no reported attacks.  Other parts of the city have been less fortunate, with violent police activity being reported on a daily basis at the so-called “Electricity Park” – a beat frequented mostly by rent boys.  The task force plans to extend its activities there as well.

Apart from the short-term goals of raising awareness of homophobic police activity and protecting the local community, in the long term, the Agudah’s sights are set higher.  “We do not intend to rest until the police officers involved in the recent spate of beatings are brought to justice,” Strikovsky said.  “We also intend to insist that the entire country’s police force undergo training seminars given by the Agudah’s education wing, Choshen, on issues relating to homosexuality and LGBT rights.”  Having said that, some members of the community have expressed doubts as to whether these goals will be attainable without funding from other sources in Israel and elsewhere around the world, without which, they say, the entire enterprise might just collapse.

The Agudah has called for meetings with the Minister of Internal Security and the Minister of Justice, as well as with the Chief Commissioner of Police.  No responses have yet been received from any of these people.

Task force : Mission number 1

At approximately 1:30 am on 20 September 2003, five police vans arrived at Tel Aviv’s Independence Park.  Some ten police officers then proceeded to wander around the Park, as has been going on for the past few weeks.  But this time, the police were surprised to find an organized group of some ten volunteers, bearing signs decrying homophobia, and carrying pride flags.  The police started harassing people in the Park by writing down their details for dubious purposes.  This time, the police did not become violent, because their every moves were being filmed and documented by members of the Task Force.

The police were politely escorted by members of the Task Force away from the bushes behind which they had been lurking.  They were sent, shamefaced, out of the Park, followed by Task Force volunteers and others carrying rainbow flags and calling to them  “The brave unit”.  The Task Force took down the numbers of the vans: M-40374; 2692235; 9082050.  The supervising officer was:  Superintendent Eran Shagir, i.d. 76287.

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