Higgins Collection: Nebi Musa Riot, 1920

This is rare footage of the Nebi Musa Riots which took place over several days, from 4-7 April 1920, in and around the Old City of Jerusalem. The riots occurred during the Nebi Musa festival, a traditional annual Muslim event, created centuries earlier, that began on the Friday before Good Friday and included a procession to the Nebi Musa shrine (tomb of Moses) near Jericho. A co-founder of the Jewish Legion of the British Army in WW1, Vladimir Jabotinsky, whilst living in Jerusalem, organised a Jewish parade to coincide with the festival. Groups of Jewish people marched through the city calling for a Jewish Defence Arm. During the festival, speeches were given by Arab religious leaders which included slogans referencing Zionist immigration and previous confrontations around outlying Jewish villages in Galilee. The trigger which turned the procession into a riot is not known with certainty, but it resulted in 9 deaths and injuries to 250 people. The Ottoman and Military Police were heavily outnumbered, so the administration had to call on the army to restore law and order. The British Military Administration of Palestine was criticised because it was slow to regain control, and as a result of the riots, trust between the British, Jews and Arabs was eroded. The footage itself shows the area behind the Jaffa Gate full of people, and a scene erupting into chaos. Some people on foot and on horseback can be seen waving guns and swords. The soldiers on horseback are members of the Palestine Police Force, formed that year, and some are wearing Turkish military uniform most likely salvaged from the garrison of the Turkish Army after their surrender to the British Army. The footage is just under 2 minutes in length. Creator: Michael Higgins