Police and Black Panthers battled in the streets of Jerusalem this afternoon as the Panthers, a name adopted by an organization of Jerusalem slum youths, staged their longest and most violent demonstration. At least 44 persons were arrested including seven women. An unspecified number of demonstrators and police were injured. The demonstration lasted four hours and was still in progress as this dispatch was filed. Police said the Panthers had a permit to demonstrate in Davidka Square off the Jaffa Road in downtown Jerusalem but contrary to police orders they marched toward Zion Square the city’s business and shopping center. Police used force when the demonstrators refused to disperse and a street fight ensued. Police said the demonstrators had paralyzed traffic and caused a serious disruption of normal life before they intervened. Pinchas Koppel, Inspector General of Police, said tonight “we acted with self-restraint but we shall not tolerate infringements of public order and if the demonstrators use force the police will react with force.” The Black Panthers came into the news in recent months as a result of a series of demonstrations in Jerusalem against slum conditions, poverty and unemployment. The group, mostly young North African Jews, adopted the name and style of the American black militant Black Panther Party though there is no known connection between the two.
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
