MK Dov Khenin (Hadash) praised the Meretz factor in the Tel Aviv City Council on Tuesday for its decision to leave Labor Party Mayor Ron Huldai’s coalition. Khenin slammed Huldai for preventing protesters from setting up a tent city, saying, “He apparently has yet to understand that in a democracy, the mayor does not get to decide if there will or will not be protests.”

According to MK Khenin, Huldai “has abandoned the southern part of the city to a severe social crisis, He is ignoring the desperation, both of long-time residents and of the life-seekers from Africa… He continues to treat the city like a military base under his command.”

Deputy Mayor Meital Lehavi  being confronted by protesters calling on her and the Meretz faction to resign from governing coalition in City Council, to protest Mayor Ron Huldai’s policies, Tel Aviv, June 25 (Photo: Activestills)

Meretz announced on Tuesday that it was leaving the ruling coalition of the Tel Aviv City Council after police arrested more than 80 people during violent social protests in the city on Saturday night. Deputy Mayor Meital Lahavi (Meretz) turned in her resignation to Mayor Huldai on Tuesday, writing that Huldai had promoted oppressive policies and torpedoed the social protest movement by sending in the police for political reasons, according to Israel Radio.

On Monday night, a group of around 100 protesters disrupted a meeting of the Tel Aviv City Council that was cancelled due to the rowdy behavior of the activists, who shouted down speakers and called on Meretz and Lahavi to leave the coalition. After the meeting was adjourned, Lahavi was swarmed by dozens of protesters as she left the building, who followed her down an escalator towards the parking lot shouting at her to leave the coalition, with at least one trying to throw water at her. Tamar Zandberg of the Meretz faction said that the protest Monday night had nothing to do with the decision to leave the city council, which was made because Ron Huldai “has made himself the leader of the fight against the protest movement, by sending his municipality clerks last Friday to break up the protest tents.”

News of the defection came just two days before Tel Aviv is set to hold its annual White Night (Layla Lavan) festivities, a night of music, art and cultural exhibits across the city that runs into the early morning hours. The event sees art galleries, restaurants and fashion houses stay open long after normal closing hours in order to hold special events, both formal and informal. The night is one of the most popular annual celebrations in Tel Aviv and brings tens of thousands of revelers into the city.

Activists have called on artists and club owners to boycott the event, and according to Alon Lee- Green, one of the more prominent leaders of the protest movement today, activists plan to hold protest marches through the streets in a number of locations in the city while White Night is being held. Cancellations have included a night of concerts that was to be held at the Ozen bar, a literary event that was to include Israeli author Etgar Keret, and a concert by the Israeli band Girafot.

According to the Facebook page Black Night – The White List, which is compiling the names of artists agreeing to boycott, the list of those who won’t be taking part in the festivities continues to grow. As of Tuesday evening those boycotting White Night also included 12 art galleries and nine different fashion houses.

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