Israelis lament ‘racism problem’ as Jerusalem march turns ugly

Israeli police estimated that more than 70,000 people took to the streets of the flashpoint city for a Jerusalem Day flag march, which has become a magnet for far-right Jewish extremists. CNN journalists on the ground witnessed some of those marching hurled insults, punches and objects at Palestinians, journalists and police.

At one point, groups were chanting “death to Arabs,” and “Arabs are sons of b*tches.” One marcher was filmed chanting “Shireen is dead, Palestine is dead,” in reference to Shireen Abu Akleh, the Al Jazeera reporter who was killed while covering an Israeli military raid in the West Bank earlier this month.

It was a chaotic Sunday in the narrow streets of the Old City as clashes broke out between the marchers and Palestinians as well as Israeli police and Palestinians. CNN’s team on the ground witnessed several violent encounters where marchers attacked Palestinians and journalists — including CNN staff — with pepper spray, as well as sticks and bottles thrown at reporters gathered to cover the march. Police were seen tackling an older Palestinian man who had placed himself between reporters and the marchers to wave a Palestinian flag.

Several Israeli politicians condemned the actions of the participants, while commentators noted that the march has become overrun by right-wing extremists and Jewish settlers — and is largely avoided by secular Israelis and ultra-Orthodox Jews.