Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said today that his country is considering deporting some 1,000 Eritreans who took part in Saturday’s riots in Tel Aviv that injured more than 140 people, including Israeli police.

The clashes broke out during a demonstration by Eritrean dissidents on the occasion of a celebratory event organized by the Eritrean embassy for the country’s independence anniversary. The Israeli police called the demonstration “illegal” and ordered the street to be evacuated, but the gathered clashed with the police, who “used live bullets” against them. According to the police, at least 49 officers were injured.

As police and protesters clashed at the event site, in another district of Tel Aviv, supporters and opponents of the Eritrean regime were also clashing with each other.

Today, Netanyahu said these events crossed his government’s “red lines.” He said immediate measures were requested, including the deportation of a thousand supporters of the Eritrean regime who participated in the riots.

“Obviously they cannot claim to be refugees. They support this (Eritrea) regime. If they support it to such an extent, they can go back to their country,” he added.

According to statistics from last June, 17,850 Eritrean asylum seekers were in Israel at that time. Most arrived irregularly via the Sinai Peninsula many years ago and have settled in Tel Aviv slums. They fled their country, which has been ruled with an iron fist by Isaiah Afwerki since 1993, after gaining independence from Ethiopia after a 30-year war.