Tension persisted today in this capital of the Negev after night-long riots in which shops of European Jews were destroyed, automobiles set afire and the furniture of the cafe-house “Kassit” smashed to pieces.
The riots-a repetition of similar riots in Haifa last week-were ascribed to small groups of hooligans some of whom came to Beersheba from other towns. These groups, according to police reports, started faked clashes between themselves which they developed into riots directed against European settlers under the pretext of protesting communal discrimination.
Strong police units arriving on the scene detained a number of rioters among whom they recognized familiar faces of persons with long criminal records. The detainees were brought this morning before a magistrate who issued detention warrants. They were then taken to prisons outside Beersheba, mainly to prisons in the Jerusalem area.
The police detachments, in steel helmets, patrolled various sections of the city today, while municipal workers cleared the glass splinters which covered Beersheba’s main streets. During the riots the show windows of many stores were smashed. No estimate of the damages has so far been reported.
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.
