– I was restless and shaken, says Asmaa Jama. On Saturday afternoon, she was attacked when she was at the front of a demonstration train in central Stavanger in support of Palestinians in Gaza. – It happened so quickly. Suddenly I see a man coming towards me. He grabs the flagpole and is aggressive, Jama tells news. The incident was filmed and posted on the Instagram account of the Palestine Committee in the city. The video shows a young man trying to snatch a large Palestinian flag from the woman at the front of the demonstration train. Furthermore, the man shouts “this is Europe”, and on the way he shows the Nazi salute and the victory “Sieg Heil”. He goes on with a woman, and both shout obscenities at the train, the video shows. Alleged to have hit a woman in the head Jama says that she refused to let go of the flagpole. – I was so shocked. My five-year-old son was quite scared, she says. The woman who went with the man is also said to have attacked demonstrators and hit Sandra Pedersen in the head with a metal thermos. This is not caught on video, but news is told this by Zaher Hammoudeh, who filmed the flag incident. Asmaa Jama, who carried the flag, and Pedersen himself, say the same. Pedersen sits on the board of the Palestine Committee in Stavanger. Jama said that Pedersen came over to help her when the man attacked her. – Then his friend comes and hits her on the head with a thermos, says Jama. The police are investigating possible bodily harm. Pedersen felt nauseous and unwell afterwards. She was first at the emergency room, and then at the emergency department at the hospital to be examined. – I’m not feeling well, says Pedersen to news at 8.45pm. Hammoudeh is with Pedersen at the hospital, and states that he has reported the case to the police. Operations manager Helen Rygg Ims in the Sørvest police district tells news that they have received a police report about the case. They have interviewed Hammoudeh, and will later question Pedersen. – We are opening a case about possible bodily harm, and have received the videos, says Ims. – Unacceptable with physical attacks – It was scary to experience, says Hammoudeh. He said that Pedersen had other plans this evening. – But it seems that she will have to stay in the hospital for a long time. It is very stupid, he says. – We are walking peacefully to show our protest against the genocide in Gaza, and I don’t think it is right that this is happening. I’m a little proud that none of the protesters did anything to them, but let them go on, says Hammoudeh. The head of the Palestine Committee in Stavanger, Ingebreth Forus, is upset. – Physical attacks against a peaceful demonstration are unacceptable, he says. Forus did not see what happened, as he was left in the square to clean up after a marking there before the train. Neither he nor Hammoudeh knows who the man and woman who allegedly attacked the demonstrators are. In the video they speak English. Now they hope that the police will find out who it is. Operations manager Ims does not currently know who the two alleged perpetrators are, but says there is hope because you can see their faces clearly on the videos. news also does not know the identity of the two, and has not made contact with them. Not experienced anything like this before The Palestine Committee has organized demonstrations in support of the Palestinians in Gaza ever since last autumn, but has not experienced similar physical attacks before, says Forus. – We have received bad words from some. We tolerate that well, but physical attacks and personal injury, there is a limit, he says. Forus thinks they will need more police guards in the future. – We organize peaceful demonstrations. We must talk to the police and discuss our way to more relevant police protection. Today we did not see the police. They are usually present, says Forus. Operations manager Ims in the South West police district says she does not know if they were present during the demonstration on Saturday, but that they consider it from time to time whether they will be there. Published 17.08.2024, at 21.36 Updated 17.08.2024, at 22.12
ttn-69
Gaza protesters were physically attacked – police report the case – news Rogaland – Local news, TV and radio
