2016-11-09 Tel-Aviv Police - criminals in uniform: Saif Qabalan, Idan Malka, Alon Lurie

Tel-Aviv Police - criminals in uniform: Saif Qabalan, Idan Malka, Alon Lurie

Event #83, Tel-Aviv, Namir Road (falsely entered by police in Begin Road)

Around 9:30-9:45 am, I left my tent in the camp. On Namir Road, a bit south of the camp, a police car, which was driving, stopped by me, and policeman Saif Qabalan (who I believe was involved in previous violent incidents in the camp in the past), and instructed me to stop. I was carrying a computer bag and a pillow.

He asked where I was from. I answered that I was from the camp. Immediately he turned aggressive.

He asked for my ID card. I asked to see his policeman ID first. He showed me his Policeman ID. I then presented my ID, which he proceeded to take, in order to check data on the computer in the car, and he never returned my ID card to me.

Qabalan asked what I had in my computer bag. I answered that I had a computer. He asked to see it, and I showed it to him.

Qabalan proceeded to state that the computer was “suspected stolen goods”, and asked if I had a receipt for its purchase. I answered that I had a receipt, but it was not on me. I explained that I had a receipt in a disk on key, which I had on me, and there was a copy also in the store, where I bought it, on the nearby Ibn Gabirol Street.

Qabalan demanded that I turn on the computer and unlock it, so that he could see what was in it. I disobeyed and explained that he had no cause and no authority to conduct a search in my computer.

Qabalan then started threatening me. I continued to disobey. He said that in that case, they take me to the station for an interrogation.

He then proceeded to throw away in the street my pillow, although I asked to take it with me.

On the way, we passed in Ibn Gabirol street, and I told him that we could stop there and get a paper copy of the receipt for computer from the computer store. He refused.

They proceeded to hold me in the station till about 13:00.

Qabalan took everything I had on me, and said it was “confiscated”. I demanded that he record what he was taking from me. He got angry, and said that there was a camera in the room. However, I was with my back to the camera. So I turned around, so that it would record what he was taking from me.

Qabalan got angry and dragged me to the other room (the bomb shelter), closed the door behind him, and started beating me up, strangling me, breaking my expensive watch in the process. He then demanded that I totally undress.

He then continued the “confiscation” of my possession in the hallway, where there was no camera at all.

Later, he and others continued to repeat threats against me, if I do not turn on my computer and permit them to see what was in it. “We will place you in arrest in Abu Kabir” detention center), “we will open a criminal file”, etc.

I continued to disobey.

They they took my computer to another location, and apparently tried to hack into it. When I finally got it back, it was on, but they failed in their attempts to hack into it (I am no kid, and I don’t keep any records on my computer either…).

About an hour later, an investigator name Idan Malka appeared. He again tried to threaten me, that if I don’t unlock the computer and let them see what was in it, I was “going head to head” against them, they will arrest me, “open a criminal file”.

About another hour later, Officer Alon Lurie appeared, who introduced himself as the station commander. He again repeated the demands that I unlock the computer. I continued to disobey. He claimed that I was “irrational”, “not cooperating”, etc, etc… Again, I explained to him that I had a receipt for the purchase of the computer in the disk on key that they took from me, and another copy in the computer store on Ibn Gabirol. He answered that I was “answering not to the point”, that he “was trying to solve the problem”, and that I was “not listening”. He repeated again and again the demand that I unlock the computer for them. I continued to disobey.

I asked Lurie was the reason for stopping me and taking me to the station. Lurie answered that the computer was “suspected stolen goods”. I answered again, that I had receipt for its purchase.

I asked Lurie, what caused Qabalan to determine that there was probably suspicion that the computer was “stolen goods”. Lurie answered that Qabalan wrote in the report that I tried to hide the computer. I answered that it was a lie. I was walking in the street with a computer bag on me. What was I possibly trying to hide?

At the end, they failed in their attempt to hack into my computer, and let me go.

They systematically “confiscate” computers, cell phones from street persons. Where the money goes, I have no clue.

P.S. As is common in this season, I wear a sweatshirt, with large “Disobey” in the front, and Gandhi’s picture on the back. In the past, the sweatshirt was sufficient reason for Tel-Aviv police to stop me in the street. For some reason, it causes them to enter irrational vibrations…