Thousands march in Tel Aviv; J14 protesters block J’lem light rail

By +972 Magazine June 30, 2012 | Edit

The largest J14 protest this year ended without the arrests and police violence seen last week.

Thousands march in Tel Aviv; J14 protesters block J'lem light rail

J14 protesters march in Tel Aviv, June 30, 2012 (photo: activestills.org)

Around 10,000 protesters marched in Tel Aviv yesterday (Saturday) in demand of social justice. This was the largest J14 protest this summer thus far, but it was a far cry from the size of similar rallies last year. Hundreds gathered in several other Israeli cities, including Haifa, Jerusalem and Afula. On the other hand, demonstrations last year also started out the same size after the first tent was erected on 14 July, and grew by the week – reaching half a million only in September.

>> Click here for video report on last week’s protest, which ended with 89 arrests >>

In Jerusalem, protesters blocked the route of the light rail. As part of an agreement between the city and the private company that runs the rail, demonstrations are not allowed near the route of the train, including in central squares which had been used for protests for decades.

In Tel Aviv, protesters marched from Habima Square to the museum square. Several hundred people split from the main rally, in protest against the organizers of the rally, who were more affiliated with the Labor (Avoda) party and much less so with the Mizrakhi neighborhoods and periphery, and marched through central Tel Aviv roads, swelling in size throughout the night. The police, which was criticized for the use of force against protesters last week, kept its distance and allowed the march to continue, but heavy police forces were present in the streets, including, for the first time, an unrecognizable armored vehicle, which appeared to serve as a mobile communications and photography base for police.

The protest in Tel Aviv included a block of protesters carrying signs against the occupation, the most common of them being “Democracy for all, from the sea to the Jordan.”

J14 protesters march on Begin road, near the Tel Aviv government building (photo: Oren Ziv/ Activestills.org)

J14 protesters block a street near government building in Tel Aviv, June 30 2012 (photo: activestills.org)

Anti Occupation protest during J14 demonstration in Tel Aviv, June 30 2012. Signs read: "unoccupy Palestine" and "democracy for all, from river to sea" (photo: Oren Ziv/ Activestills.org)

J14 protester near a police armored vehicle in Tel Aviv, June 30 2012 (photo: Oren Ziv/ Activestills.org)

J14 protesters wearing Guy Fawkes masks in Tel Aviv, June 30 2012 (photo: JC/ Activestills.org)

Tent Protest action on Tel Aviv beach, June 30 2012 (photo: Yotam Ronen/Activestills.org)

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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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