Anti-corruption weekly Tel Aviv protest turns violent
Thousands of protesters gather in Tel Aviv for the weekly Saturday demonstration against corruption in the government, and particularly against alleged corruption of Prime Minister Netanyahu, making it the 60th week in a row in which Tel Aviv people warm to the streets to voice their vexation with the premier; clashes momentarily erupt between protesters, counter protester, and is quelled by police.
Thousands of demonstrators gathered in Tel Aviv's Habima Square on Saturday evening to protest against government corruption in general and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in particular for the 60th week in a row.
Waving banners, flags and signs, protesters were heard shouting slogans against the prime minister, such as "the people decided that Bibi (Netanyahu) has no purpose," "Our country and not Netanyahu's," "Corruption is going to be broken," and "a corrupt government of corrupt tycoons."
Their signs read "Brothers in the war against the corrupt," "Oh my country, my homeland, you are going to be a fief," and "Another such Attorney General and we are lost," referring to the repeated claim that AG Avichai Mandelblit is purposefully delaying the investigation against Netanyahu.
On the margins of the demonstration, clashes broke out with a group of counter-protesters and supporters Netanyahu, who carried signs saying "coup attempt," and "left=disaster."
Some of the demonstrators shouted at the supporters of the prime minister, suggesting they "go to the Pussycat (a famous Tel Aviv strip club) with Yair (Netanyahu)." Netanyahu's supporters responded by calling them "racist sourpusses."
Things turned violent for a moment when, at the edge of the demonstration, one of the counter-demonstrators tried to get close to the protesters and was shoved away by the police.
The police then kept the two sides separate throughout the night.
The demonstrators promised that after the speeches they would march to 30 Rothschild Boulevard, "to visit Kobi Maimon and his son."
The son of Kobi Maimon, Nir, was recorded on a tape with Yair Netanyahu, the premier's son, in which Yair is heard telling Maimon that he has to "hook him up" with 400 NIS, which he later said was for soliciting a prostitute.
"Bro, my father cut a great deal for your father. Fought for it in the Knesset, bro," Yair is heard telling Maimon. "My father set you up with $20 billion, and you can't even hook me up with a show for NIS 400?" he added, laughing.
Eldad Yaniv, one of the initiators of the protest, called on the Israeli public to "have hope and do not settle for Netanyahu's departure, but rather demand a new contract with the politicians.
"Tell (Education Minister Naftali) Bennett and (Finance Minister Moshe) Kahlon—Shame on you for keeping silent."
The director of the Israel Women's Network, Attorney Michal Gera Margaliot, spoke about the recently-published recording of Yair Netanyahu, in which he is heard making disparaging remarks towards women, and hinted that his behavior could be explained with the example set for him by his father.
This is the prime minister's son. The same prime minister who publicly supported Nathan Eshel, a sexual harasser. The same prime minister who for nine years has not bothered to say anything about promoting women, and who never employed a woman for a senior position. Not even one. The same prime minister who never promoted laws for 51 percent of the population," she slammed.
"We waited for him to say that it is serious and wrong, that women are human beings and not a consumer product. We waited but nothing was said.
"Instead of supporting the law to incriminate prostitution consumers and promoting it, you want to pass a law prohibiting the publication of the next embarrassing recording.
"This is the year in which millions of women will stop keeping silent. We deserve better. Let us have a prime minister who acknowledges us and is committed to our well-being."
"From a small demonstration, we have become a national tsunami," the demonstration's organizers wrote on Facebook hours before it took place.
"Come and demonstrate with us every Saturday night against the corruption that threatens this country, and against the mafia laws they are trying to pass in the Knesset in order to perpetuate government corruption.
"Get out of your seat, get out of the house and come and demonstrate for the future of the country and the future of our children!"
