Thousands protest at Ben-Gurion Airport over judicial reform plans

A huge protest by up to 15,000 Israelis in support of judicial independence took place across Ben Gurion Airport on Monday as police made several arrests.

Chants of ‘democracy’ and ‘this government is criminal’ rang through the arrivals hall at Terminal 3, with passengers arriving into Israel greeted by the deafening sound of horns and drums, and the waving of hundreds of Israeli flags.

Click here to see video of the protests. 

Among those arriving in the protest was a group of British university students visiting Israel for the first time with the Taglit Birthright programme. Ella Cohen, 18, from London, said: “I’ve never experienced anything like this before.”

According to the Times of Israel, protesters said Israeli police ordered them to leave the arrivals hall “because of our Israeli flags”, an order they described as “illegal”.

Police units, some on horseback, blocked the entrance to the airport and began removing protesters from inside, with 52 people arrested for disturbing the peace after overrunning blockades and blocking roads. All were later released from Ramle police station, where hundreds of protesters moved on to from the airport.

Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid refused to criticise the anti-government protests against a planned law restricting the independence of Israeli judges.

“What should have happened today is for the government to stop the legislation,” said Lapid.

“Then there would be space to end the demonstration at Ben Gurion. This is what the organisers said, too. Protesters have a full right to demonstrate in a democratic country – as long as we are a democratic country.”

Right-wing Israeli politician Simcha Rothman, who heads the Knesset Constitution Committee, said the bill would be approved and advanced to the Knesset, ahead of its first reading early next week.

The planned changes will allow politicians to legally override Israel’s most senior courts if they deem ministers’ plans unconstitutional.

There have now been 26 consecutive weekends of nationwide protests against the judicial overhaul, centring on Tel Aviv’s Kaplan Street. This weekend saw 130,000-150,000 participants in the city, with 280,000 in total across the country.