Taguig City police physically and verbally abused and arbitrarily arrested Edison Yu at the Israeli embassy in Bonifacio Global City, hours before the rally started on June 8. He was taking pictures of the police blocking and guarding the roads when they assaulted him.

Youth groups supporting Palestine condemned the incident. Youth for Palestine-Makati said this is a violation of Yu’s freedom of expression.

“This act of brutality by the BGC-Taguig City Police shows not just their ignorance to the tragedies in Gaza, but also their complicity to US-Israel’s occupation and genocide in Palestine,” the group added.

They said the governments and armed forces have consistently targetted the citizens’ strike and protest against Zionist Israel’s attack on Palestinians. “This terrifyingly mirrors the attitude of the Israeli occupation; having no respect to legalities and human rights amidst their genocide,” they added.

As of June 7, Israel has killed 36,731 individuals. This includes more than 100 journalists, mostly Palestinians. At least 15,500 of the victims are children. More than 83,500 Palestinians have been injured in Israeli bombings and attacks. Around 10,000 people have been recorded as missing as they may have been buried in collapsed buildings.

The group demanded the Taguig City local government to immediately address Yu’s release. It also demanded holding the police involved in physical abuse and illegal arrests accountable. Youth groups went to the Taguig City hall to protest today, June 9, but were stopped by the police.