Every time someone talks about political acts, political decisions, political articles, or political demonstrations, I envision the actor Chaim Topol as Sallah Shabati in Ephraim Kishon's satirical film of the same name. It was a comic-tragic story about political dealmakers who promise housing and work in exchange for votes for their parties and a new immigrant who quickly catches on to the game and exploits it for his own benefit.
Anyone who accuses the demonstrators in Rabin Square on Saturday, or the organizers of the event, of "stealing" a protest about compensating the self-employed for income lost during the coronavirus crisis and turning it into a "political" event directed against Netanyahu, is naïve or pretending to be. It was a demonstration against the government's handling of the epidemic, and the person who represents the government more than anyone else is Netanyahu, who could have left prime-time "explanations" to the health or finance ministers, but preferred to do it himself. The person who enjoys the spotlight is a natural target for disappointment, and no one "stole" the innocent protesters for the purposes of one party or another.
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It could be said that the demonstrators who came to protest Saturday night about the distress of small business owners only bother to take to the streets when their own bottom line is affected, and not when there is a real threat to the independence of the courts or government oversight. It could also be said that those who brought thousands of people to the square without any serious attempt to ensure minimal social distancing were behaving irresponsibly.
But the last thing the protest organizers could be accused of is bringing masses of people together for no reason. Many of them are members of the middle class who are afraid of going broke as a result of the government's handling of the pandemic. It was a political demonstration only in the sense that it had to do with public issues, and every public issue is a political one. Only someone who wants to question the legitimacy of any form of criticism of the government would question the right to protest, which allows the public to express its opinion about government decisions or problems between one election and another.
The question is how to allow freedom of expression while not endangering the lives of the demonstrators and those around them. A democratic government that bans protests will be criticized for exploiting the coronavirus crisis to silence its opponents. It's also clear that anyone who permits a demonstration in Rabin Square cannot wield an iron fist against demonstrators in Mea Shearim, just like anyone who allows private pools to open at hotels will find it hard to close down public pools. It's easier to make prohibitions than it is to permit and explain.
There is a need to prevent a repeat of what happened on Saturday night. Previous demonstrations that upheld social distancing proved that doing so is possible, and even draws the desired media attention. The fact that the day after the Tel Aviv protest, Haredim protested without bothering to maintain social distancing and clashed with the police, shows that law enforcement can't claim it isn't following a policy of selective enforcement.
The Tel Aviv demonstration on Saturday wasn't political in the shallow sense of the word. It was a protest by people who are facing unprecedented financial challenges and feel that the government isn't there for them. But allowing protests to be held in a way that ignores public health regulations and puts protesters' families and those around them at risk does not show a liberal approach to the activists; it shows that the authorities are both dismissing and belittling them.
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