LONDON: According to The Guardian, Israeli police detained a Palestinian guy dressed as Santa Claus during a Christmas party in Haifa last week. According to the Mossawa Center, a rights organization for Palestinian citizens of Israel, the Christmas event was canceled on Sunday when Israeli police rushed the location and seized equipment.
Along with a street vendor and DJ, the Palestinian Santa Claus entertainer was taken into custody. A video that has gone viral on social media shows cops handcuffing and shoving the men to the ground while large crowds of onlookers look on.
According to a statement from Israeli police, the Palestinian man dressed as Santa Claus resisted arrest and attacked an officer. However, Mossawa claimed that the raid on the music hall venue was carried out illegally and that the police used excessive force.
Despite Israel’s limitations on daily life in the occupied West Bank and Gaza, Palestinians are celebrating Christmas this week. For the first time since the start of the assault on Gaza, Bethlehem celebrated December 25.
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