JAILED IN JERUSALEM
Today I went to a demonstration at the U.S. consulate office in Jerusalem. The police showed up out of nowhere and began arresting a Palestinian. I tried to de-arrest him but I did not have enough help. Two Scotish friends of mine assisted as well however the Police began beating us all prefusely. This police attack was broadcast all over Al-Jazeera, but I don't think any news in the US felt it was worthy.
We were taken to a police van where they continued beating us.
They sprayed pepper spray in the Palestinian's face and began kicking us. I was kicked in the groin, legs, chest, back and head. A few seconds later a policeman hit me in the face with a large paperback book. The officer in the back of the van then grabbed
me by the hair and forced me to lay face first on his shoe. He pressed his finger into my ear so that I could not move my head. My Scottish friends were also treated the same. They continued beating the Palestinian all the way to the police station. All
four of us were arrested but they had not informed us of this properly.
At the police station we were forced to sit on our knees facing the sun for nearly an hour. Every so often an officer would come by and throw us face first on the pavement. I guess kicking people in handcuffs makes one feel macho? After an hour they took us
inside for interrogation and strip searched us in the lobby of the police station in front of alot of excited onlookers. They took the Palestinian into another room and we could hear him screaming. No
telling what they did to him. One of the officers then said, "Welcome to jail. You don't need any of your personal belongings. Just some Vasoline." The officers then cuffed us Gitmo style. Hands and feet in
shackels. An hour later my interrogator informed me that I was charged with participating in an unlawful demonstration and
assaulting a police officer. I did not give them my name or my passport number since I conveniently left it in my hostel. I then stated that I denied all charges against me and I wanted to speak with my lawyer. I asked the officer for my cell phone to contact the media office, but when he brought it to me I could tell that they had broken it. He smiled and said that he would call me a nice public defender. I refused the offer and decided to face the charges
myself, because I knew that they had nothing on me.
The officer took my statement and wrote it up in Hebrew. I then informed him that I would not sign anything in Hebrew and that I only knew English or Spanish. After a few hours of playing good cop - bad cop they decided that I actually had a stronger case
against them and that they would have to let me go.
All of us were released and the Palestinian, Qusay, took us to his house to eat dinner with his family.
Qusay is an international business major in Iceland. He just returned home to Jerusalem yesterday and he will be here for one month. Qusay's mother is active in many of the demonstrations I have been to in the past and today Qusay decided to accompany her to protest the US support for the war on Lebanon. In a
few weeks his younger brother will be released from prison. His brother was arrested when he was 16 and is now 20. The best four years of his life have been in prison. Qusay's older brother is 28 and has been in jail for 7 years. My day might have been bad, but I cannot imagine what it would have been like if I was Qusay or any Palestinian.
