Police called in on spraying students

Parents of some of the youths in the park were furious at the police actions, saying the teenagers have been left in shock and fear.

By MIRIAM BULWAR DAVID-HAY
Senior police are investigating an incident in which police sprayed pepper spray to disperse a group of high-school students in a public park during the recent teachers' strike, reports Yediot Haifa. Several youths were injured during the incident, which took place late at night. According to the report, during the recent strike, police all over Haifa were frequently called by residents complaining of noisy teenagers carousing in public parks and playgrounds late at night, in some cases under the influence of alcohol or drugs. In the incident now being investigated, dozens of youths had gathered in a park in the French Carmel, and, according to a police spokesman, most were drunk. The spokesman said police told the youths to go home but they refused, and police decided to spray them with pepper spray to disperse them rather than arresting them and opening criminal files. Three teenagers were hospitalized with sore eyes, dizziness and nausea. Parents of some of the youths in the park were furious at the police actions, saying the teenagers have been left in shock and fear. A police-appointed committee has been ordered to investigate whether the policemen behaved appropriately. No completion date for the investigation was stated.