Jerusalem (CNN) -- A racially charged demonstration against the Israeli government's handling of immigration from Africa turned violent Wednesday night as protesters attacked foreign workers, shattered car windows and vandalized a shop owned by a Sudanese migrant. Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said 17 men were arrested in the event and brought to a Tel Aviv court Thursday morning. They are charged with attacking residents and Israeli police and damaging property. The demonstrators carried signs with the slogans "Infiltrators get out of our houses" and "Tel Aviv -- a refugee camp." They were accompanied by three members of the Knesset, Israel's parliament.
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Protesters smashed windows and attacked foreign workers during the protest
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Netanyahu condemned the attacks and said he'd fight illegal immigration "responsibly"
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Knesset speaker blasts members who took part in the demonstration
Tensions between local residents of @placeholder's working class neighborhoods and illegal African immigrants have seen new highs this month following a couple of highly publicized cases in which Sudanese migrants were arrested on charges of sexual assault against young Israeli women.