The Israel Police has told on Thursday, December 5, organizations of anti-government protest on they will no longer be allowed to hold their regular massive Saturday-night demonstrations at Tel Aviv’s busy Kaplan Junction. “Recent rallies were too small to justify blocking the key intersection,” the police says demanding that future demonstrations be held on the nearby Begin Road, closer to the Kirya military headquarters. However, amid police ban activists plan to hold their first mass rally since the army removed all limitations on large gatherings in central Israel.
Protest against the Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the far-right government in Tel Aviv, on August 31, 2024 (Photo: Yonatan Sinde / Flash90)
The demonstrations at the junction in central Tel Aviv began in 2023 to protest the far-right government and its plan to enact a judicial reform plan. At their height, they saw turnouts of over 150,000 demonstrators each Saturday night.
In recent weeks, demonstrations were not held at the Kaplan intersection due to army Home Front Command guidelines which limited gatherings in central Israel to 2,000 people. Now that the restrictions have been lifted, the Kaplan protest organizers asked to renew the protests.
Members of the protest organizations expressed strong opposition to the decision and claimed that it was an attempt to weaken the movement since the Kaplan intersection is seen to be a symbol of the movement.
On Thursday morning, protesters chained themselves together, blocking the entrance to the Communications Ministry in Jerusalem, as additional demonstrators participated in a protest installation depicting the hanging of Israeli news channels outside the entrance to the ministry. Two protesters dressed as newscasters sat next to the hung news channels, to broadcast for “Dictator TV: The end of the free press.” Police brutally attacked the protest and arrested eight activists.
The blocking of the entrance to the ministry was part of a protest that began in Zion Square, with a small group of protesters calling for democracy and warning against the return of the judicial overhaul.
The protest followed the passing of a bill to close the Public Broadcasting Corporation Kan in a preliminary vote last week and the advancement of a series of additional bills as a continuation of the government’s fascist offensive. “The judicial overhaul never truly stopped, but after October 7, it slowed down until the opening of the current winter session. Since the session began, the coalition has been advancing numerous laws aimed at strengthening government power and dismantling the few remaining checks and balances that protect Israeli democracy,” said protest organization Changing Direction, which led Thursday’s protest.
“We, the protest movement to replace the government, along with other Israeli citizens who value a democratic state, will not allow Israel to become a dictatorship,” it said. “We will not allow harm to the free press, we will not allow harm to the separation of powers, we will not allow harm to the gatekeepers, and we will not allow any harm to free elections in Israel,” the organization agreed. “These are not slogans – we are taking to the streets and will continue to do so, protesting resolutely against a government that sees only itself. Together, with persistence and determination, we will repair and rebuild everything that has been destroyed.”
Related: https://maki.org.il/en/?p=32289
