Israeli anti-immigration riots hit African neighbourhood of Tel Aviv

Tel Aviv has been hit by the most violent protests in its recent history after more than 1,000 Israelis took to the streets in the city's south to demand the deportation of African immigrants and asylum seekers.

Bracing themselves for a second round of nationalist protests on Thursday evening, the residents of Hatikva are struggling to resume normal life Photo: AFP/Getty Images

By Phoebe Greenwood in Tel Aviv

4:08PM BST 24 May 2012

The predominately black neighbourhood of Hatikva was ransacked by groups of nationalist protesters who had attended a demonstration on Wednesday night against illegal African migrants.

The protesters claim the Africans are responsible for a rise in crime, bearing signs saying "This is not Africa" and "Stop talking, start expelling".

"Blacks out!" shouted demonstrators in the crowd, while others yelled "Send the Sudanese back to Sudan", as other protesters derided the "bleeding-heart leftists" working to help them.

The mob set cans of rubbish on fire, smashed the windows of shops owned by Eritrean migrants and beat up Africans walking through the streets.

TJ, a 29-year-old migrant from Nigeria, watched the violent chaos from his rooftop having been chased and pelted with rocks when he attempted to leave his house.