Shots were fired tonight, Sunday, May 3 in I’billin toward the local Communist Party of Israel (CPI) branch, as well as the home of the branch secretary, Yousef Heidar. According to Heidar, he received a call earlier in the evening from an unknown number demanding the removal of red flags hung at the party club to mark May Day; the shooting occurred later that night.
Heidar and his family, who were home during the attack, were not harmed. The Shfa’amr district of the CPI strongly condemned the shooting, stating: ‘We will not be intimidated. The red flags will continue to fly.'”
Targeted for the Red Flags: A damaged window of Yousef Heidar’s residence in I’billin after shots were fired at the house and the local CPI branch. (Photo: Zo Haderekh)
Meanwhile, a participant in a protest against the right-wing government held last night in Be’er Sheva reported that an individual sitting in the back seat of a car fired an air rifle at protesters standing at a nearby junction. The protester, Yuval Ben-Ari, told Haaretz: “At first, several pellets hit my chest, so I protected my face with the sign and heard the burst of fire hitting it.” The police later announced they had arrested two residents on suspicion of firing an air rifle from a car at anti-government protesters in the city.
According to the police statement, an Airsoft weapon, suspected of being used by the two individuals in their 20s, was found during a search of the vehicle. Both suspects were released following their interrogation. It is worth noting that in February, anti-government protesters in Be’er Sheva testified that people who arrived in a car with a “Leftist Traitors” sign sprayed them with motor oil. The police subsequently arrested a suspect in that incident, who was released after questioning.
Anti-government protests took place last night at several locations across the country. Approximately two thousand people demonstrated at Habima Square in Tel Aviv, calling for the establishment of a state commission of inquiry. The protest was held in collaboration with the Struggle Organizations Forum—a new coalition of several protest movements against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu—and the October Council, a forum representing bereaved families. Additionally, hundreds of protesters gathered at Paris Square in Jerusalem. Police forcibly evacuated several activists from the “Changing Direction” movement after they reportedly “refused the police officer’s order to disperse and disrupt public order.” Hundreds also gathered last night at Horev Center in Haifa for an anti-government demonstration.
Earlier Saturday’s morning, a mass march against the war and the right-wing government took place in Nazareth as part of the main annual May Day parade organized by the CPI and Hadash. Thousands of Arabs and Jews marched from Tawfiq Ziad Street to Mary’s Well Square in the city center, where a rally was held. Many young people stood out among the marchers, chanting slogans against capitalist exploitation, fascism, war, and the occupation, while waving red flags and banners in Hebrew and Arabic. Three brass and percussion bands from the Young Communist League of Israel (Banki-Shabiba) also participated in the march.
Related: https://maki.org.il/en/?p=33431
