Police raided Hadash and Communist Party of Israel (CPI) branch office in Nazareth Friday evening, tearing down political posters and spray-painting over murals. “The Ben Gvir police continues its political persecution and attempts to intimidate and silence the Arab public and other forces opposing the war,” Hadash says in a statement. “We will not put up with these provocations. We will continue to lead the joint Arab-Jewish struggle against fascism, war and persecution,” Hadash says.

Police spray-painting over murals at the Hadash-CPI Nazareth office raided by police on November 10, 2023 (Photo: Hadash)

The raid was held into a broader police crackdown on those trying to protest against the war in Gaza. Arab community leaders were detained in Nazareth on Thursday and 18 left-wing activists were arrested, among them Hadash and CPI members, during a demonstration against the crackdown on dissent toward the army’s deadly assault on Gaza and the arrest of Arab Higher Committee members, outside the Tel Aviv district police station. A parallel demonstration in the Russian Compound in Jerusalem saw one protester arrested and four hospitalized due to police violence.

On last April 28, towards the May Day demonstration in the city, the police took down the red flags and the Palestinian flag at another Hadash-CPI branch and arrested the secretary of the Communist Party in Nazareth.

Related: https://maki.org.il/en/?p=31342