From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, June 13, 2023
Ben Gvir said to scold top police commanders over arrest of Pride Parade counter-protester
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National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir has reportedly accused top police commanders of failing to implement his policy during last week’s Tel Aviv Pride Parade, accusing cops of acting “illegally” when they arrested a protester against the LGBTQ rights march.
Aharon Burstein, a Haredi resident of Tel Aviv, has for years been staging a silent, one-man protest against the Parade, standing with a sign that says “I protest” while reciting Psalms.
זהו אהרון בורשטיין,התמונה מלפני שנה בה הוא הביע את מחאתו הפסיבית,החוקית נגד מצעד הגאווה.
השנה,הוא לא עמד בקרן הרחוב כי עמי אשד החליט שהוא מסוכן לציבור והורה על מעצר בית מנהלי ל48 שעות+שני בלשים שישגיחו.
רק על זה כל מי שקשור,צריך לעוף הביתה ביום ראשון.
זו הדיקטטורה.זן הבושה. pic.twitter.com/HyrJ3I3ks7— ???????? אלעד (@ungermongar) June 10, 2023
This year he was arrested ahead of the march on Thursday, questioned and sent to house arrest until Saturday night, despite the lack of any evidence to indicate he was dangerous. On Friday, the Tel Aviv Magistrate’s Court released him without any restrictive conditions, criticizing police.
According to the Walla news site, Ben Gvir sent an angry letter today to Police Commissioner Kobi Shabtai and police’s Tel Aviv District Commander Ami Eshed, saying police “violated freedom of speech” with the “false arrest.”
Ben Gvir reportedly says that in a discussion ahead of the Parade, he instructed Shabtai and Eshed to ensure freedom of expression both for the marchers and for counter-protesters, and that Eshed said he would do so.
“Turns out that the Israel Police violated the freedom of speech of a man named Aharon Burstein by wrongfully arresting him just for holding a sign saying ‘I protest,'” he writes, according to the report, adding that cops apparently broke the law. “Additionally, this is an incident that goes against my policy, and against your statement that you would enable freedom of expression for everyone.”
The report says Ben Gvir has asked for clarifications by Sunday.
The Times of Israel Community.