Left-wing rally in capital draws bitter exchanges, counterprotest.
By ABE SELIG2 protests in Jerusalem(photo credit: Laura Weisman)
Counterprotesters and angry passersby faced off against more than 100 left-wing demonstrators who had gathered in Jerusalem’s Paris Square on Monday night to rally against the IDF naval raid off the coast of Gaza and what they called “the ongoing illegal blockade” of the Hamas-run territory.Members of the Hadash party, its Hebrew University student branch and activists who frequent the weekly Sheikh Jarrah protests in east Jerusalem turned out for the spontaneous rally around 7 p.m.RELATED:Mass left-wing protest in TAFlotilla organizers: At least 10 activists killed in clashes“We’re here to protest the violent takeover of the Gaza flotillaships,” a Hebrew University student who gave his name as “Tzachi” toldThe Jerusalem Post. “And in general, we wanted tovoice our strong opposition to the illegal blockade of Gaza.”Tzachi said word of the spur-of-the-moment protest had gathered steamvia the Internet, on Facebook and through e-mails, and that he was“satisfied” with the crowd that had shown up on such short notice.Police cordoned off the square and prevented protesters from disruptingtraffic at the busy intersection just south of downtown, although atvarious points throughout the evening, police were seen pushing peopleback behind the metal barricades that had been set up to keep thedemonstration orderly.Still, the sight of placards decrying “Israeli State Piracy” andprotesters clad in keffiyehs waving a large Palestinian flag proved tobe too much for many Jerusalemites who passed by, both on foot and incars, and heated exchanges with the protesters erupted frequently.At one point, a man who had been inside the cordoned-off square lungedfor the large Palestinian flag, snatching it away, breaking free fromthe crowd and bolting for the street. Police and Border Police officersran after him and caught him.Protesters said they understood they were holding a “provocative rally”in the heart of the city, but that the day’s events had demanded such aresponse.“Something terrible has happened and I feel provoked,” Jerusalemresident Yosefa Raz, who said she was an active Sheikh Jarrahprotester, told the Post.“Every week we protest in Sheikh Jarrah, which is out of the publiceye,” Raz continued. “And after what has happened, I think people feltthat something more public needed to be done. We wanted to be seen andheard.”Nonetheless, counterprotesters who had gathered in front ofthe Prima Kings Hotel on an opposite corner were also being seen andheard, yelling, “Go try and protest in Gaza!” and, “Peace activistsdon’t carry guns and knives!” at the demonstrators, who fired back withslogans of their own.Police and Border Police officers formed a line between the groups, and the raucous exchanges carried on throughout the evening.“It makes me sick to see this,” Toronto native Josh Salmon, on a visit to the country, told the Post.“These people say that Israel isn’t a democratic state, yet here theyare, protesting freely. This is democracy in action.” he said.
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