Children’s TV stars horse around on Tel Aviv highway

A pair of children’s television stars rode a horse along a major Tel Aviv highway Wednesday, in a stunt they said was aimed at cheering people up amid an ongoing political and social crisis.

But Israel Police took a different view and opened an investigation into the stunt, as it is illegal to bring animals onto a freeway.

Michal Weizman, who stars in the “Michal Haktana” [Little Michal] series, and Roy Oz, known by his stage name “Roy Boy,” merged with traffic on horseback on the Ayalon freeway.

Oz, in his signature onscreen outfit, held on to the reins while Weizman held on to Oz as the pair trotted on the asphalt.

The excursion came as the pair were filming a clip for a new song staged at the Hahalacha interchange, along the highway.

A statement on behalf of the pair said, “During the filming of a video clip, amid all the demonstrations and internal conflicts that have been taking place in this area of Tel Aviv for many weeks, we were happy to bring some joy to passersby in a video clip whose message is unity because we are brothers.”

ללא אישור המשטרה: כוכבי הילדים רוי בוי ומיכל הקטנה דהרו באיילון על סוס בצילומי קליפ חדש. הפקת הקליפ לא קיבלה אישור מהמשטרה ומדובר בעבירת תנועה. המקרה עבר לבדיקה של בוחני משטרת מחוז תל אביב לבחינת הגשת תלונה@SivanSisay pic.twitter.com/GHeGfUcaa7

— כאן חדשות (@kann_news) September 6, 2023

Police later summoned Oz for questioning, before releasing him and issuing a NIS 1,000 fine for traffic violations.

Months of mass protests against the government’s planned drastic overhaul of the judiciary have been spearheaded by weekly rallies in Tel Aviv, during which demonstrators often descend to the Ayalon Highway and block it.