Eight Israelis arrested after threatening to jump from bridge on Dizengoff Street

Eight young Israelis were arrested after taking positions on a bridge crossing Tel Aviv’s Dizengoff Street on Wednesday afternoon, standing as though poised to jump in an apparent protest over socioeconomic conditions in the country. Four others were arrested after lying in the street below, blocking traffic.

People in the crowd below urged them not to jump, and nearly two hours later they backed away from the edge to safety. Before stepping off the bridge into the Dizengoff Mall, the eight held aloft a sign that read “Love Revolution” in Hebrew and English and shouted “Alright, we’ll be good people.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pFVVU0O3E7c&feature=plcp

Police said they intend to file suit against the eight for the expenses incurred from blocking traffic along one of the city’s major arteries.

The eight dropped a letter into the growing crowd below; the note complained about “the situation” in the country in the current Rosh Hashanah (Jewish New Year) period. The Jewish New Year was marked earlier this week.

The eight — six men and two women — drew a growing crowd on the busy street. The bridge they chose for the protest runs across Dizengoff between two sections of the Dizengoff Center shopping mall.

Several Israelis have made very personal protests against perceived socioeconomic injustices in recent months, with a string of self-immolation attempts around the country.

Last month, a man was arrested after trying to set himself alight at Tel Aviv’s Rabin Square. Police took him in for questioning after he was caught pouring flammable material all over his body, apparently prior to igniting himself.

In July, Moshe Silman, a social activist from Haifa, doused his body with flammable liquid and set himself on fire during a social justice rally in Tel Aviv. Silman distributed a letter at the protest, setting out his reasons for taking the extreme action. He blamed various government agencies for failing to provide him with financial aid and housing. Suffering burns over 94% of his body, Silman died a week after setting himself on fire.

Following in Silman’s footsteps were another six or seven self-immolation attempts within a week. Wheelchair-bound IDF veteran Akiva Mafa’i died of his wounds in early August.