The Jerusalem Post reports that disability activists there say they were victims of police brutality when protesting about conditions for disabled people in Israel.About a dozen wheelchair users protested outside the Welfare Ministry in Jerusalem June 29, saying they would not leave until their demands for more state aid were answered.
"From the year 2000 until today, the government has failed to upgrade the benefits allotted to us as disabled citizens of this country," said Doron Yehuda, a disabled participant in the protest. "We get the same amount of money now that we did six years ago, and prices have gone up. It's not enough."
Yehuda explained that the state aid he received to pay for gasoline just wasn't adequate.
"Some people can take the train or the bus," he said as he motioned at his motorized wheelchair. "But I can't, I have to use my van - it's the only way I can get around. I can't afford the fuel, though, because while prices have gone up, I still receive the same amount of money I did before 2000."
The Jerusalem Post reported that the "most troubling complaints from protesters were that police officers had abused them physically, throwing them out of their wheelchairs and preventing them from using the bathroom. A man with fresh gashes on his head told The Jerusalem Post he was hurt when he fell out of his wheelchair as police tried to force him from the entrance to the Welfare Ministry on Saturday night."
"Police denied the allegations, saying the protesters were there illegally, and gave them no choice but to remove them," according to The Post.
