“Social justice activists who participated in the demonstration in Tel Aviv over the weekend are left-wing extremists who want to overthrow the government and don’t really ask for social change, and behind them: Hadash and the Communist Party” MK Ofir Akunis (Likud) said Wednesday during a discussion in the Knesset.
“They are not asking for social change, but protesting for the sake of protesting,” accused MK Miri Regev (Likud) the demonstrators, adding that the “left-wing extremists wish to turn Rabin Square [in Tel Aviv] into Tahrir Square and overthrow the government. Acts of vandalism, confronting policemen, struggles of power all of those done in order to gain media coverage.”
Social justice demonstration in Tel-Aviv, last weekend (Photo: Activestills)
Police arrested 97 demonstrators during the last weekend . On Staurday night thousands converged in and around Tel Aviv’s Habima Square on Saturday night, protesting the arrest of Daphni Leef, a leader of last summer’s social protest movement, on Friday. The protesters blocked Ibn Gabirol Street north to Rabin Square, before moving and blocking Ayalon highway. Public Security Minister Yitzhak Aharonovitch also condemned the social justice demonstrators: “they threw water, eggs and stones at policemen.”
Dov Khenin (Hadash) criticized the neo-liberal government and the Labor Tel Aviv mayor Ron Huldai’s refusal to allow activists to erect tents in the city’s Rothschild Boulevard. “He needs to understand that it is not his private space, but a public space,” Khenin said, “he sent his municipal inspectors and they used force without authority.”
Khenin did not spare any criticism from the police, claiming that instead of arresting the inspectors, they joined them. “It has awoken an enormous, justified rage,” he said, “the protest on Saturday night expressed that rage. We were fighting for our right to fight for social justice.”
Khenin asked to make clear that violence was not used by most of the demonstrators: “you cannot stick one broken glass to hundreds of thousands of Israelis who were protesting. The majority has supported and is supporting this protest. Anyone who hits should stand on trial, even if he is a police district chief.” The communist MK added “The demonstration is now subject to a dangerous PR spin. You cannot let a shattered shop window overshadow heartfelt protests by hundreds of thousands of Israelis. Whatever’s been said about this social protest, the majority supported and continue supporting it.”
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