Ethiopian Israelis protest against 'police brutality'

Hundreds of Ethiopian Israelis protested in central Tel Aviv on Sunday against alleged police brutality and institutionalised discrimination, an AFP correspondent said.

The protest came three days after a stormy demonstration in Jerusalem sparked by footage showing two policemen beating a uniformed Israeli soldier of Ethiopian origin.

Scores of other Israelis also joined Sunday's rally, chanting and bearing signs reading: "A violent policeman must be put in prison" and "We demand full equal rights".

As they marched, some held their arms in the air, wrists crossed as if handcuffed, as police blocked them from accessing a nearby highway.

There were no reports of clashes as occurred in Jerusalem on Thursday, when 10 protesters and three policemen were injured.

"Being black, I have to protest today," 34-year-old Eddie Maconen told AFP.

"I never experienced police violence against me personally, but it is aimed at my community which I have to support," he said.

Maconen, who came to the country aged three, said the protesters wanted violent policemen to be put on trial before deeper issues of social inequality were tackled.

"First the police need to be dealt with, then we'll get to all the other (official) bodies that screw over Ethiopians," he said.

As the rally began, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu released a statement saying that on Monday he would meet Damas Pakada, the soldier who was beaten, as well as other representatives of the Ethiopian community.

More than 135,000 Ethiopian Jews live in Israel, having immigrated in two waves in 1984 and 1991.

But they have struggled to integrate into Israeli society, despite massive government aid.