Following the murders in Basmat Tabun on Wednesday, activists from the Standing Together movement painted the fountain in Dizengoff Square in Tel Aviv red on Thursday, as an act of protest against the failed policies of National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir.
In addition to coloring the fountain's water, the activists stood around the fountain with pictures of the murdered. "Since the beginning of the year, under the tenure of Minister Ben-Gvir, 188 men, old women and children have been murdered in Arab society," they said in a press release.
Demonstrators believe that it was their actions that stopped Ben-Gvir from arriving at the fountain.
The minister wanted to arrive at the fountain due to the protests and demonstrations over the erection of a temporary divider between men and women during a public prayer session on Yom Kippur.
Government silence
The Standing Together movement stated, "There are no other words to describe the failure of Ben-Gvir, except to define him as a murderer. 188 Arab men, women and children were murdered on his shift - this is a policy. When budgets are taken from the Arabs, quality education and employment opportunities are denied, there is a systematic plan to crush Arab society , there is no choice but to flee to the gray market and crime. Plans to deal with crime and violence have been on the table since the beginning of the year, it is an active choice not to do anything about it."
"The government and its representatives are silent but we are not."
"What happened yesterday in Basmat Tabun and Haifa should stop the entire country and it is simply unimaginable that five family members were murdered in their home in a shocking massacre, and another man was killed in broad daylight on a main road."