As rockets fly, J14 rallies struggle to put social issues first

By Ami Kaufman August 20, 2011 | Edit

Last night, the J14 movement had its biggest test yet: to continue demonstrations as usual when the spiral of violence is once again starting to get out of hand in the south.

The first mistake the J14 leaders did was even before the rallies started across the country. Although it was an excellent move not to cave in to the “national mourning” period that is mandatory after every terror attack and cancel the demos, they decided to hold “silent” rallies, in respect of those who died.

This was a bad move. You can respect the dead and mourn their loss, and you can still demonstrate for your country on different issues. That’s what would have taken place in a normal country. The murders in the south were disgusting, but if you want to show that protests must go on as usual – then go all the way with that. Hold a regular demo.

The vacuum that remained, the confusion that lingered left the rally wide open to be manipulated. Unfortunately, Hadash activists felt they had to get political no matter what and chanted their usual slogans – and suddenly out of nowhere the right wing racists showed up to confront them.

It got ugly, as you can see in the movie I filmed, and a “regular” demo would have probably prevented this.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JxtUo97rBrE[/youtube]
Otherwise, the rally of 5,000 went on as planned from Habima square to the beach, where speeches were held, songs were sung and group discussions were held into the night.

At one point, the racists showed up again during a speech of an Arab speaker. After heckling the man for 10 minutes, the crowd finally rose from their seats on the grass and physically shoved the racists aside, all the while chanting “Jews and Arabs refuse to be enemies!” It was a very moving, powerful moment, but one that also made me realize that the racists might be right about one thing: this seemed like a very leftist demonstration.

But Israel isn’t normal, and J14 isn’t your typical movement. And right now it’s all we’ve got, and I’m damn proud of it. Last night’s march was the most important one yet. It was small in numbers, but the biggest effort yet to put social issues in front of security – the toughest task Israel has ever faced.

So, did J14 pass its first major test? Yes.

Not with flying colors, but yes.

Baby steps…

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TEST TEST GAL Our team has been devastated by the horrific events of this latest war. The world is reeling from Israel’s unprecedented onslaught on Gaza, inflicting mass devastation and death upon besieged Palestinians, as well as the atrocious attack and kidnappings by Hamas in Israel on October 7. Our hearts are with all the people and communities facing this violence. We are in an extraordinarily dangerous era in Israel-Palestine. The bloodshed has reached extreme levels of brutality and threatens to engulf the entire region. Emboldened settlers in the West Bank, backed by the army, are seizing the opportunity to intensify their attacks on Palestinians. The most far-right government in Israel’s history is ramping up its policing of dissent, using the cover of war to silence Palestinian citizens and left-wing Jews who object to its policies. This escalation has a very clear context, one that +972 has spent the past 14 years covering: Israeli society’s growing racism and militarism, entrenched occupation and apartheid, and a normalized siege on Gaza. We are well positioned to cover this perilous moment – but we need your help to do it. This terrible period will challenge the humanity of all of those working for a better future in this land. Palestinians and Israelis are already organizing and strategizing to put up the fight of their lives. Can we count on your support? +972 Magazine is a leading media voice of this movement, a desperately needed platform where Palestinian and Israeli journalists, activists, and thinkers can report on and analyze what is happening, guided by humanism, equality, and justice. Join us.

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