Hundreds close major streets in central Tel Aviv to protest police discrimination against black Israelis.

Photos by Oren Ziv/Activestills.org

Hundreds of Israelis of Ethiopian origin blocked streets and highways in central Tel Aviv Sunday to protest police brutality against black Israelis.

Police arrested 12 people for blocking streets. (Update: all of the arrestees were released in the early morning hours.)

Some protesters carried coffins bearing the name of Yosef Salaams, an Ethiopian Israeli man who committed suicide after suffering police abuse.

Demo against police brutality, Israelis of Ethiopian descent chant: “A violent cop belongs in prison” @activestills pic.twitter.com/jdoarUjv6g — +972 Magazine (@972mag) July 3, 2016

Large police forces met the protest, which took place near IDF headquarters in central Tel Aviv.

Last year, after several high-profile cases of police violence against Ethiopian Israelis, mass protests took place in cities across Israel.