Protesters rally against Benjamin Netanyahu's cabinet, fined by police

"In a democratic state, police's job is to preserve the citizens' right to protest rather than repressing it with enormous fines," the organizers said.

By LEON SVERDLOV
Protesters rally in front of former IDF chief of staff Gabi Ashkenazi's residence (photo credit: BLACK FLAGS MOVEMENT)
Protesters rally in front of former IDF chief of staff Gabi Ashkenazi's residence
(photo credit: BLACK FLAGS MOVEMENT)
Close to 200 "Black Flags" protesters rallied in front of Blue and White MK and former IDF chief of staff Gabi Ashkenazi's house in Kfar Saba on Monday morning, demanding that the party not join a unity government with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Police reportedly handed out NIS 5,000 ($1,400) worth of fines to the protesters, saying they had "breached the quarantine regulations."
"It is time Ashkenazi and [Blue and White head Benny] Gantz wake up and see they have been played by Bibi [Netanyahu]," the protest organizers said. "We took to the street in order to protect Israeli democracy and the rule of law."
According to the protesters, the intention of the two to vote in favor of the indicted prime minister to form a cabinet, "would be the destruction of Israeli democracy. The time is not up yet; it is time Ashkenazi and Gantz join the rest of the bloc that believes in Israeli democracy and fight corruption from within it."
The protesters were confronted by police officers who fined them for allegedly breaching the coronavirus regulations. "The officers came, snatched me, announced I had breached the health regulations and fined me for NIS 500," said Brig.-Gen. (ret.) Amir Haskel.
"It is a gross lie. We keep our distance just like we are supposed to," he continued. "The right to protest is a cornerstone of democracy. The attempt to block attempts to protest government corruption truly shows the severity of our times," Haskel said.
"In a democratic state, the Police's job is to preserve the citizens' right to protest rather than repressing it with enormous fines," the organizers said. "We will not give up and will keep fighting for Israeli democracy."
Police responded to the report, saying that the protesters breached the emergency health regulations and refused to keep a two-meter (six-foot) distance from one another and limit the gathering to ten participants.
"Upon arrival, police forces notices close to sixty protesters gathered by a public official's home on HaKarmel street in Kfar Saba," police said. "The gathering is illegal and is a gross violation of the Public Health Order."
According to the Police, "after the protesters were asked to keep the required distance from one another and stand in groups of no more than ten individuals in accordance with the Health Ministry's instructions, they refused, and the fines were given."
Police said it calls upon the public to "adhere to police instructions and refrain from gatherings that put public health in substantial jeopardy."
Following the incident, Ashkenazi asked Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan (Likud) to consider dismissing the fines given to the protesters who rallied by his residence in Kfar Saba.
"Even in times like ours, free speech and the right to protest should be preserved, under the condition that the protesters follow the Health Ministry's regulations," Ashkenazi said.
"[The right to] protest is a fundamental right in a democracy," he continued. "I call on the public security minister and the interim Police Commissioner [Motti Cohen] to consider dismissing the fined given to the protesters this morning."
According to Channel 13, the fines given to the protesters by the Kfar Saba municipality were dismissed. However those given by police officers remain in effect, according to the report.
Meretz head MK Nitzan Horowitz responded to the incident, also asking Erdan to dismiss the fines. "The Police has refrained from giving such large fines despite various violations of the Health Ministry's public regulations," he said. "When it comes to people protesting Netanyahu's rule, quite surprisingly, they have their finger on the trigger."
According to Horowitz, "the fines are illegal, they infringe the right to protest and constitute [a form of] selective enforcement designed to suppress a legitimate anti-government protest. The fines given to the protesters should be dismissed."


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