Activists protest murder of women with 'blood' puddles
Lying in red puddles surrounded by death notices for the women murdered this year, female protesters demonstrate outside the Public Security Ministry in Jerusalem, calling out 'there's no honor in killing.'
A group of female activists protested in Jerusalem on Friday against the government's inaction to stop the murder of women.
The protesters lied down on the road in 'blood' puddles surrounded by death notices for the women murdered this year and signs that said, among other things, "Gilad Erdan, how do you plan to stop the next murder?"
The protesters, who were blocking the entrance to the Public Security Ministry, were evacuated by the police shortly afterwards.
"We're protesting not for the first time in general and not even for the first time this year over the inaction of the relevant position-holders to prevent the next gender-oriented murder," explained Anna Klieman, one of the organizers of the protest.
"We've had a bloody week, two women were murdered and another one is in the hospital in serious condition because of violent men in their lives—partners, husbands, divorcees and exes," she continued.
Klieman complained that "Actionable recommendations made by the Knesset’s Committee on the Status of Women and Gender Equality and the Interministerial Committee for the Prevention and Handling of Violence in the Family are collecting dust in the Public Security Ministry's drawers. They were already costed and all that's left to do is allocate the money and implement them."
Instead, she continued, "Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan and Police Commissioner Roni Alsheikh are tarrying and more and more lives are lost. We haven't heard a word from them on the matter, while women are murdered one after another. How can that be? Don't you care if women live or die? Don't you care that more than a third of the murderers are known to authorities, which don't lift a finger to prevent these needless deaths? How many more women need to be murdered? How many more puddles of blood and bodies do you need to see for someone to decide to invest money in preventing our needless deaths?"
Another organizer, Shoshan Weber, said that "every year an average of 20 women are murdered. We reached that number already this year, and we're only in October."
"This is gender-based terrorism to all intents and purposes," Weber stressed. "The media calls it 'honor killing' or a 'crime of passion' but there's no passion or honor in this. This is the violence of men against women, in a manner that repeats itself and can be prevented."
"The state institutions abandon women—more than half of this country's citizens—again and again: starting with the police that ignores complaints about violent partners or husbands, threats and intimidation; through the prosecution that closes cases en masse and puts violent men back on the streets, something that limits women in all aspects of life; and finally courts that settle for ridiculous restraining orders that cannot be enforced. All of those bear the responsibility for each and every murder. Do something, the blood of all of the women murdered this year and every year is on your hands," she added.
Thursday saw demonstrations protesting violence against women in 20 places across the country. Demonstrators observed a minute of silence in memory of the 20 women murdered since the beginning of 2018.
"This is violent and ongoing male terrorism that should be treated as a national plague that must be eradicated," the organizers said.
Some 500 people, including artists and politicians, attended the main protest at Dizengoff Square in Tel Aviv.
"Over 160 were murdered over the past decade," said actress Yael Abecassis in tears. "We were unable to protect them."
