Protest outside Israeli ambassador’s UK residence ahead of critical Knesset vote
More than 300 Defend Israeli Democracy protesters stage demo outside Tzipi Hotovely's north London residence, as the Netanyahu government attempts to pass legislation limiting the power of High Court
Lee Harpin is the Jewish News's political editor
More than 300 people have joined a demonstration outside Israeli ambassador to the UK’s north London residence to express their continued anger at Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition government ahead of a critical vote in the Knesset on Monday.
Many of the Defend Israeli Democracy protesters who gathered on Sunday evening held aloft Israeli flags, while others held banners warning of the Jewish state’s drift towards increased authoritarianism.
Police officers watched on, as the crowd engaged in chants warning about the significance of Monday’s vote, in which the government will seek to pass legislation to abolish Israel’s “Reasonableness Doctrine” – a move which aims to prevent the country’s High Court from blocking government decisions that it found to be unreasonable.
בלונדון ????????, הערב, מחוץ לבית השגרירה, יצאו המפגינים בקריאה לקהילה היהודית בבריטניה: עמדו לצד המוחים בישראל!
Credit: Sharon Shochat#DefendIsraeliDemocracy pic.twitter.com/i3wQdam9Vb
— Defend Israeli Democracy (@IsraeliDefend) July 9, 2023
Some of the protesters held banners which stated “Get Off The Fence”, a call for communal organisations and the wider community in this country to express their own outrage at Israel’s political drift further rightwards.
“On Monday night, the Israeli government aims to abolish the ‘Reasonableness Doctrine’, which will give the government unlimited power to do as it pleases, the first milestone in turning Israel into a dictatorship,” said Sharon Shochat, one the protest organisers.
“Tonight, 300 Israelis and British Jews came together to protest. Those who haven’t yet stood up in defence of Israel’s democracy – the time to act is NOW.”
As with previous protests in this country, those attending were in the main Israeli expats, although the respected academic David Hirsh was present and confirmed to Jewish News he was attending a Defend Israel Democracy protest for the first time.
Initially the protest took place on the other side of the road from ambassador Tzipi Hotovely’s residence, but after women in crimson robes and white caps, dressed as characters from Margaret Atwood’s dystopian novel The Handmaid’s Tale, walked slowly outside the gated house, the demonstrators crossed the road, without the police officers objecting, to join them.
Despite the looming judicial reforms, the protest remained good natured, with some on the demo playing musical instruments.
Only the now familiar chanted of “busha! (shame) busha! (shame) busha! (shame) displayed any sense of anger over the political situation in Israel.
Among those to address the crowd was Dr Sheldon Stone, who warned that if the legislation passed on Monday it would represent the “first step towards turning Israel into a dictatorship.”
He said if passed there would be no checks and balances on the government in Israel, and “the only true democracy in the Middle East is at risk from within by its own elected government.”
A few on the protest displayed a more radical stance.
One banner expressed anger at the acquittal of an Israeli police officer in a Jerusalem court last week, after he had shot dead an autistic Palestinian man, who he mistakenly believed to be a terrorist.
A woman held the banner reading “There is no democracy without justice”, which featured a photo and the murdered Palestinian.
Many passing motorists beeped as they drove past the protests, but on three occasions passengers shouted out “Free Palestine.”
On one occasion two Israeli expats raised their arms, clenched their fists and shouted “The same. We agree.”
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