Clashes erupted on Monday in central Tel Aviv between Israeli police and Ethiopian-Israelis, who were staging an anti-racism protest.

The protesters were demonstrating against the closing of a case that they say demonstrates police brutality.

The emergence last month of a closed circuit video clip showing policemen shoving and punching a black soldier led to one of the most violence demonstrations in Israel's commercial capital in years.

Several hundreds of demonstrators chanted "police state" and threw glass bottles and stones at officers in riot gear at Rabin Square in the heart of the city.

19 protesters were arrested, according to Israeli police spokeswoman Luba Samri.

Two policemen were suspended on suspicion of using excessive force. The case is now closed.

Israeli politicians, stung by community leaders' comparison of the incident to police violence against blacks in the United States, have tried to defuse tensions.

The community of Ethiopian Jews, which now numbers around 135,500 out of Israel's population of over 8 million, has long complained of discrimination, racism and poverty.

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