The flyers were adorned with illustrations of Tamimi's encounter with the IDF troops as well slogans such as "Free Ahed Tamimi" and "Freedom for Palestinian prisoners." They were removed by JCDecaux, the multinational corporation that oversees transportation advertising in hundreds of cities, including London.
On Twitter, JCDecaux called the flyers "an act of vandalism which was not supported or approved by JCDecaux."
In London at a bus station: Free Ahed Tamimi pic.twitter.com/SqFPRgwNeV
— Hamas Movement (@HamasInfoEn) December 31, 2017
Hello, it was an act of vandalism which was not supported or approved by JCDecaux. We removed the posters as soon as we were made aware of them. We deeply regret this incident.
— JCDecaux Global (@JCDecauxGlobal) January 3, 2018
Ahed was detained along with her cousin Nour and her mother Nariman after the former two were filmed kicking, slapping and shoving two IDF soldiers stationed outside their home in the disputed West Bank. The soldiers, both carrying assault rifles, push the girl's hand away, but don't otherwise respond except to move farther from the property.
Another video released online showed Ahed and Nour, reportedly standing on the stairs, telling the soldiers to go away. The three were arrested soon after and the IDF confiscated their phones, computers, and laptops.
Ahed appeared in court on Wednesday. Described as the primary instigator of the incident, the court has charged her with "assaulting a soldier, harming the security of the area, incitement and other felonies." The detention of all three has been extended until Monday.
The case has blown up on social media, particularly in Israel and Palestine. Pro-Palestinian groups have criticized Ahed's arrest, arguing that she and her family have the right to resist the occupation.
The protest took place in the West Bank village of Nabi Saleh, which from 2010 to 2016 was the site of weekly protests against the Israeli occupation and the relocation of a wellspring to the nearby Israeli settlement of Halamish.
Israeli soldiers and Palestinian civilians have constantly clashed over the area. Three Palestinians have been killed and roughly 350 were injured since the protests began. Three Israeli settlers in Halamish were stabbed to death by a Hamas-affiliated assailant in July 2017.
The Tamimi family is the most prominent one in Nabi Salah, with two of the three Palestinians killed by the IDF in the protests bearing that name. Several other members of the family are well-known activists, journalists or protesters. One family member, Ahlam Tamimi, was convicted of acting as an accomplice in the 2001 Sbarro restaurant suicide bombing that left 15 civilians dead.
