Right-wing Israelis march in Jaffa against Arab presence

[bobalot]

Israel: Right-wing Israelis march in Jaffa against Arab presence

03-03-2011

IMEMC & Agencies:

Right-wing Israelis held a march through Jaffa to protest against what they deemed, “the Islamic movement gaining control” over the city.

The march was organised by Michael Ben-Ari, an MK (member of the Israeli parliament) in the National Union. 16 left-wingers who were protesting against the march were arrested.

The protestors chanted slogans saying, "Jaffa is Jewish and will remain Jewish"

The march, which was escorted by a heavy police presence, comes few days after the Tel Aviv-Jaffa municipality announced a plan to build affordable housing exclusively for Jaffa's Arab residents.

Palestinian workers in the city staged a strike in protest whilst the march was taking place.

Tel Aviv councillor, Ahmed Mashrawi commented, “These people's march reveals their true ugly face. As long as they don’t harm the routine of the residents, we won't allow them the pleasure of receiving a headline on our account."

Jaffa is one of several so-called 'mixed cities' in Israel, with a population of 29000 Jews and 17000 Palestinian-Arabs. Whilst in 1947 the city had 70,760 Palestinian residents, by 1950 this had dropped to a mere 4000, since most had been forced out of their homes in 1948 and became refugees inside the West Bank. Plans are presently afoot to build affordable housing for the city's Palestinian residents – a proposal that has angered many on the right.

http://imemc.org/article/60760

Far-right marches against a minority ... where have I heard this before?

[The Grim Squeaker]

Additional Article on the march:

Rightists march in Jaffa
Hundreds of officers, police chopper secure march against 'Islamic takeover of Jaffa'. Residents take to streets to protest, holding signs saying 'Extreme Right's racism equals neo-Nazism in blue and white'; 16 leftists arrested
Yoav Zitun
Latest Update: 03.02.11, 11:40 / Israel News

Traffic was halted on one of Jaffa's main streets Wednesday morning as 60 right-wing activists prepared to march in protest against "the Islamic Movement's operations in the city" and "the Islamic takeover". Large police forces were deployed to prevent clashes with residents.

As the marchers proceeded down the street residents called out, "racists go home" and some clashes broke out. Police detained 16 left-wing activists for questioning after an officer was lightly injured in the clashes.

Hundreds of Border Guard and special forces officers secured the route of the march, and a police chopper was also mobilized.

Among participants in the march are MK Michael Ben-Ari and extreme right-wing activists Baruch Marzel and Itamar Ben-Gvir. They marched with Israeli flags and signs that said "Jaffa for the Jews".

Residents of Jaffa soon appeared on the street to protest against the march. Residents of the city called marchers "fascists and racists", and held up signs saying, "Extreme rightist racism equals neo-Nazism in blue and white". Many claim that the marchers are trying to destroy the city's coexistence.


Marzel, who organized the march, said in response to this, "We heard the leaders of the Islamic Movement say last month that Jaffa is Palestine. We say to them, Go to Libya, to Gaddafi. It's time Jews stopped being afraid to wander about Jaffa during all hours."

The former deputy mayor of Tel Aviv-Jaffa, Michael Roeh of Meretz, was forcefully removed from the scene by police early on for trying to stop activists from beginning the march.

His girlfriend, Revital Lampert, said they had come to express their contempt for the march. "I don't understand why Michael was taken forcefully," she said after her partner was placed in a police cruiser and driven off.

Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai inveighed against the march, telling Police Commander Shahar Ayalon that it was "a serious provocation".

But the High Court of Justice approved the march after requiring that its organizers, who wanted to pass through the famous Arab neighborhood of Ajami, change the route to a less provocative location.

Arab institutions located in Jaffa have announced that they will ask residents to refrain from being "dragged into" riots, but a high-ranking official in the Arab community told Ynet that many may refuse to be reined in.

Kamal Agbaria, chairman of Ajami's neighborhood committee, threatened revenge. "At the end of the month, on our Land Day, we will pay them back and march in Kiryat Arba," he said.

So, city announces plans

"to build affordable housing exclusively for Jaffa's Arab residents."

.
[Gasp! Discrimination!!]
Right-wingers use this as an excuse to hold a protest march, while between a third and half as many left wing anti-protestors show up, not counting the city's residents, the ex-mayor, and various other Jews. So, provocation by right wing nuts much? Making this out as institutional and alluding comparisons to the organized aproved violence Kristallnacht is a rather gross disservice.
(If anyone wants to argue that the presence of a MK is institutional approval can also argue why the presence of Arab MK in Pro Palestine, anti Israel rallies isn't the same in terms of institutionalization.).

Oh, and I think that the march is a disgusting case of provocation, racism and stupidity by those rightwing activists.


EDIT: For anyone curious as to how they got approval for this, it was under Free speech...and the recent counterexample of a 1,000 man Palestinian march in Jaffa:

Right-wing activists petition court to approve Jaffa march
By RON FRIEDMAN
02/28/2011 04:53

MK Michael Ben-Ari and activists claim police refusal to approve march is infringement on freedom of expression and freedom of assembly.

The Eretz Yisrael Shelanu NGO petitioned the High Court on Sunday to order the Tel Aviv District police to explain its refusal to let right-wing activists hold a protest march in the streets of Jaffa.

According to the petition, submitted by National Union MK Michael Ben-Ari and activists Itamar Ben-Gvir and Baruch Marzel, the police, in their failure to give formal approval to hold the march, were infringing on their freedom of expression and freedom of assembly.

The petition notes repeated attempts by the petitioners to receive permission to hold the march, and that each time they were told by the police to wait a little longer to receive approval and promised that approval would eventually be granted.

According to the petition, the petitioners turned to the court as a last resort after being repeatedly turned away by the police with claims that their request was being looked in to.

The activists even accommodated the police by agreeing to alter the march’s course and reduce the number of allowed participants from 100 to 60, according to the petition.

“Advanced warning of nearly a month should be sufficient for the district commander to reach a decision and respond to the petitioners in writing; since he failed to do that the court is requested to impose substantial expenses on the police,” the petition reads.

The Tel Aviv police spokeswoman said in response that the police has no obligation to respond within a specified time, but that the petitioners would receive their answer soon following a meeting on the matter held at the district offices on Sunday.

The planned for the right-wing protest follows one organized by the Islamic Movement in which 1,000 people took to the streets of Jaffa, some carrying Palestinian flags and chanting anti-Israel slogans.

Source
Not that this changes anything.

[bobalot]

Not that this changes anything.

Then why the fuck did you knee-jerk post it?

Making this out as institutional and alluding comparisons to the organized aproved violence Kristallnacht is a rather gross disservice.

You think this type of behavior is an isolated example?

There is another thread in this very forum with right-wing/settler violence. Unlike the "Islamists" whose power is next to zero in Israel, the far-right collect many votes and have far greater power.

The entire fucking settlement movement is a monument to their influence over Israeli society.