With talk of early elections and the return of the “social justice” protests
this summer, over 1,000 people marched through central Tel Aviv on Tuesday to
mark International Workers Day.
Holding banners from several left-wing
parties, the demonstrators called out chants that were common during the summer
protests, including calls for Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu to
resign.
Speaking from a podium at Rabin Square, where the march ended
Tuesday night, Hadash MK Dov Henin spoke of how this year’s May 1 commemorations
must signify the return of the summer protests.
“The first of May this
year must symbolize the beginning of the summer,” he declared. “We must
return the spirit of the summer and the social protest.”
He added that
this summer, as opposed to the last, protests must translate into political
change, saying, “If we want social justice, we need a different
government.”
Like Henin, Labor MK and Histadrut labor federation
leadership candidate Eitan Cabel used the opportunity to call for change in the
Histadrut, which both he and Henin said had forsaken the interests of
workers.
Before the march set out, Shay Galy of the Movement of Socialist
Struggle said that he felt this year’s May Day march was unique because
following last year’s protests, “we see a much wider range of society taking
part,” something he said was reflective of greater public support for a social
protest movement.
When asked how that could translate into political
power, he suggested that all of the different social protest groups and
left-wing parties come together and form a new party devoted to social issues,
removing the current “racist government run by financial
interests.”
Activist Alon-Lee Green said that this year’s May Day march
brought together 82 different organizations looking to show that “the struggle
isn’t about secular vs. haredi [ultra-Orthodox] or Jews vs. Arabs or Right vs.
Left, it’s about everyone together trying to change the system.”
Green
said he didn’t know how it would play out in the upcoming elections, but that
“if there is an atmosphere of social struggle around the elections, it will be a
great accomplishment.”
Meanwhile, MK Michael Ben- Ari (National Union)
and right-wing activist Baruch Marzel led a counter-protest, saying that “these
red flags are red because they were soaked in the blood of Jews and gentiles,
too, who were murdered through the history of communism.”
A few scuffles
broke out between the two sides but were quickly broken up, with police making
one arrest.