Sapir College in southern Israel canceled the participation of the racist Otzma Yehudit party candidate for the Knesset, Itamar Ben-Givir, in an election panel that was held there on Wednesday of this week, March 27. The organizers of the event at Sapir College explained that representatives of three parties, Hadash, Meretz and Labor, told them that if Ben-Givir would be present, they would not attend.
The boycott of the Kahanist Ben-Givir was in accordance with a joint decision made by Hadash, Meretz and Labor a few weeks ago. A demonstration against the participation of the racist Ben-Gvir was held by students affiliated with Hadash, Meretz and Labor at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem during the past week, with the protesters calling upon school officials to cancel his participation in an election panel to be held at the university.
During Wednesday’s event at Sapir college, a candidate from Hadash, Dr. Ofer Cassif, was verbally attacked by MK Oren Hazan (Likud). Moreover, with the conclusion of the panel, Cassif was physically assaulted by Hazan and his far-right henchmen. During the current election campaign, MK Hazan, who did not receive enough votes in the Likud primaries to be a candidate for the 21st Knesset, has repeatedly attacked leftist candidates at panels held at universities and colleges. The unrestrained, soon-to-be former MK violently broke up a meeting featuring Meretz chairwoman, MK Tamar Zandberg, at Tel Aviv University. On a different occasion he disrupted an event hosting former Peace Now chairman, Yariv Oppenheimer, at Michlala LeMinhal College.