Police volunteers ordered to zip criticism after post panning Ben Gvir — report
New protocol okays attending protests, expressing political opinions but bars criticism of police or gov’t policies by those who identify as volunteers in the police
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Police volunteers will be banned from criticizing law enforcement or the National Security Ministry headed by far-right firebrand Itamar Ben Gvir, under new rules issued by the force, according to a report Friday.
The new directive, first reported on by the Ynet news site, came against the backdrop of the police’s decision to dismiss a longtime volunteer after he published a post on Facebook in which he urged Ben Gvir to speak more respectfully about members of the security forces protesting the judicial overhaul. Ben Gvir has come down hard on the protesters, calling them “privileged” and has backed officers accused of using excessive force against demonstrators.
The new protocol states that police volunteers are allowed to participate in political protests, sign political petitions and express political opinions both online and in public.
However, they may “not criticize police policy, the policy of a government office while identifying [or performing duties] as a police volunteer” — a position that some Israelis take on as a form of reserve duty.
Tal Rothman, an attorney representing the dismissed police volunteer told Ynet in a statement that the new protocol is a “dangerous” one that can be implemented to squelch dissent elsewhere as well unless there is a public outcry against it. She warned such directives could potentially outlaw groups of military reservists, doctors and university lectures who have organized against the judicial overhaul and have threatened to cease serving if it moves forward any further, a major source of pressure on the government.
Last week, Ben Gvir accused the Justice Ministry department investigating alleged violence by police against anti-government protesters of trying to restrict riot control units and vowed to give his full backing to the officers.
Ben Gvir made his remarks during a visit to officers of Tel Aviv’s Yasam special patrol unit, whose commander is being probed by the Police Internal Investigations Department over allegations of violence lodged by protesters.
Ben Gvir, whose ministry is in charge of the police, told officers that the department’s behavior is “puzzling and very grave.”
The Times of Israel Community.