Brazilian police released three Israeli tourists Monday after they clashed with pro-Palestine residents in Itacare, a northeastern beach city popular with former Israeli soldiers, authorities said.
The three men, ages 21 to 22, insulted officers and resisted arrest after they “conflicted with a group of people during a pro-Palestine demonstration” in Itacare, Bahia state police said in a statement. The city of 30,000 residents has become a travel spot for former Israeli soldiers.
The protest on Saturday went viral on Brazilian social media and showed the Israeli tourists clashing with residents who questioned their presence in the city. Another demonstration that showed locals being favorable to the foreign visitors took place the same day, police said.
Several people involved in the protest against the Israeli tourists featured Palestinian flags and chants against Israel’s campaign against Hamas in Gaza, which killed more than 72,000 Palestinians since its start. The incident underscores how global tensions from the Gaza conflict are surfacing in unexpected tourist destinations, sparking local demonstrations and raising questions about safety for international visitors in Brazil.
Itacare lies 1,340 kilometers (832 miles) north of Rio de Janeiro.