Migrant apartment in Jerusalem after arson attack on July 12, 2012. (Photo: Olivier Fitoussi/Haaretz)
Last night a Jerusalem apartment inhabited by African migrants went into flames in what appears to be the latest vigilante attack against asylum seekers. The three Eritrean residents, including one pregnant woman, escaped from their now ruined apartment after attempting to stomp out the fire.
Two African migrants were lightly to moderately wounded on Thursday, in what the police suspect was the intentional torching of their Jerusalem apartment.
A preliminary investigation of the event revealed that the fire began spreading in the apartment of an Eritrean couple around 3 A.M., with the man and his pregnant wife attempting to put out the flames with their feet.
The couple eventually managed to escape the apartment, and into the nearby Agrippas Street, suffering from burn wounds in their legs and from smoke inhalation. Emergency crews arriving at the scene evacuated the two to be treated in Hadassah University Hospital, Ein Karem.
The arson attack comes only one month after anti-migrant vigilantes firebombed a Jerusalem apartment, where 10 people were trapped. The attackers also left a graffiti message, making clear their sentiment regarding the refugees: “Get out of the neighborhood.”
And late last April, in just one evening three residential buildings where migrants live, and one kindergarten where refugee students attend school were firebombed with Molotov cocktails. Last night’s attack marks the sixth arson on migrants and their homes since the end of April.
