Asylum seekers' kindergarten broken into, vandalized, while kids present

The Unitef kindergarten is used primarily by asylum seekers and non-Hebrew speaking migrants in south Tel Aviv.

DECEMBER 17, 2020 17:12

Updated: DECEMBER 17, 2020 19:12

Children at a kindergarten for asylum seekers in south Tel Aviv. (photo credit: UNITAF) — Children at a kindergarten for asylum seekers in south Tel Aviv.

(photo credit: UNITAF)

Activists opposing asylum seekers broke into a kindergarten in south Tel Aviv and destroyed property - while the children were present, N12 reported.

Sheffi Paz, an infamous advocate against asylum seekers and another activist from the "South Tel Aviv Liberation Front" are suspected of committing serious crimes including trespassing, vandalism, violating public order and breaking in to the Unitef kindergarten in south Tel Aviv.

The South Tel Aviv Liberation Front is known for its objection to illegal immigration from Africa to Israel and to the concentration of those migrants in south Tel Aviv neighborhoods

The Unitef kindergarten is used primarily by asylum seekers and non-Hebrew speaking migrants in south Tel Aviv.

The serious incident supposedly took place during the kindergarten's working hours - while the children were there.

Hearing about the incident, Tel Aviv deputy mayor Zipi Brand, turned to the police and asked them to issue a restraining order to Paz and the other suspect in the area surrounding the kindergarten.

לא ייתכן שביטחונם של ילדים קטנים בתוך גן ילדים ייפגעו על ידי אנשים זרים הפורצים לתוכו באמצע היום ומהלכים בילדים ובצוות הגן אימים. פניתי למפקד מחוז תל אביב במשטרה בדרישה לשמור על הילדים, למצות את החקירה עם האחראים ולהרחיקם מהאזור על מנת למנוע הישנותם של מקרים כאלו בעתיד. https://t.co/I3zMqGZmxa
— ציפי ברנד (@BrandZippi) December 16, 2020

"It can't be that the safety of little children inside a kindergarten will be threatened by people breaking in at midday and terrorizing the children and staff," Brand tweeted.

Brand decided to go one step further and arrived to the kindergarten and handed out Hanukkah donuts to the children. "This is a clear message of 'banishing the darkness,' a message against racism," Brand wrote.

באנו חושך לגרש. את הבוקר פתחתי בגן הילדים בדרום תל אביב שהותקף , כדי לוודא שמקרי אלימות כאלה לא יישנו. הגעתי לחזק את ילדי וצוות הגן יחד עם פעילי #צו_שמונה_לפועלי_התרבות.- עדי ארד, אמה טוקטלי, גיל ברדה וחליל מיירוד שהביאו איתם עשרות סופגניות, ומצב רוח מעולה כדי לעודד את הילדים. pic.twitter.com/U8ZrfePByR
— ציפי ברנד (@BrandZippi) December 17, 2020

The Unitef kindergarten promotes values of loving the other and creating a sustainable urban future. Established in 2017, it lies in the heart of the Neve Shaanan neighborhood in south Tel Aviv and includes a communal garden which children use to learn about agriculture and grow their food.