Heavily armed police force raided Friday evening, April 26, the Hadash branch in Nazareth and arrested two activists who were setting up displays and flags for the May Day rally.

Activists from Hadash, the Communist Party of Israel (CPI) and the Young Communist League were involved in the planning and preparations for the central May Day demonstration being organized by Hadash and the CPI who will be held, as every year, in Nazareth, today at 10:30, with a mass march along Tawfiq Zyad street in the center of the city.

Hadash activists protest during the arrestation of the Nazareth Communist Party secretary, Mansour Dahamshe, Friday, April 26, 2024 (Photo: Al-Ittihad)

According Hadash MK Ofer Cassif, “We won’t let the fascists silence us! Come to the demonstration, to raise a loud and clear voice against the criminal massacre in Gaza, against the ethnic cleansing of the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, against the raging tide of fascism and in support of justice for all, before it’s too late! The order of the day – unite against fascism!”

Towards this year’s May Day, the International Workers’ Solidarity Day, several rallies against the deadly war in Gaza and the occupation of the Palestinian territories will be held across Israel, in Tel Aviv, Nazareth, Kufr Yassif and the Western Galilee, Jerusalem and other locations.

This is the third assault on Hadash branch in Nazareth during last year. Police raided Hadash branch office on last November 10, 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 said 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.”

A year ago, on April 28, 2023, towards the May Day demonstration in the city, in another raid police took down the red flags and the Palestinian flag at the Nazareth branch and arrested the secretary of the Communist Party in the city.

Related: https://maki.org.il/en/?p=31787