Haredi MK caught on mic saying protesters are ‘fascists,’ should be ‘finished off’

United Torah Judaism MK Yitzhak Pindrus was caught on a hot mic earlier today saying protesters against the government’s judicial overhaul are “fascists” and should be “finished off.”

Pindrus was heard making the comments while at the Knesset’s Constitution, Law and Justice Committee, as it met to pass the highly controversial overhaul bill to shield elected officials from judicial review of the “reasonableness” of their decisions.

“Did you see what they did at the airport yesterday?” he was heard saying. “What is this? [They’re] fascists, they need to be finished off.”

Asked to comment, Pindrus tells Channel 12 he was speaking “cynically” in reference to police not taking a suitably tough approach toward the protesters, in his view.

Later, Shachar Glick of Army Radio and Atara German of Makor Rishon, the two journalists with whom Pindrus was talking, confirm the lawmaker’s account and say the comments were taken out of context, and that Pindrus was cynically describing authorities’ response had it been right-wing settlers blocking the airport.