Violence and protests mar wartime Memorial Day ceremonies

For the second year in a row, clashes broke out during a Memorial Day address given by National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir on Monday, with protesters calling the far-right politician a “criminal” and “draft dodger” and demanding he leave the annual ceremony in Ashdod.

In response, supporters of Ben Gvir heckled the protesters as “leftists” and “garbage,” sparking multiple fistfights in the military section of the Ashdod cemetery.

Screams shattered the solemn atmosphere of the day as attendees fought, shoving and punching each other while soldiers and police struggled to separate them.

“Say Kaddish for Israel! Look what has happened to us,” one man yelled at an anti-government protester as cops tried to pull them apart. “Why disturb us? Fuck off. Look what you’ve come to.”

Speaking over the disruptions, Ben Gvir declared that Israel had to keep fighting the Hamas terror group in Gaza in memory of those who were killed on and in the wake of October 7.

“Our brothers’ blood cries out from the ground and commands us to carry on and remember, to carry on and fight. With shield and sword, until victory — and it is coming,” he declared, in a speech that made no mention of the hostages in Gaza.

“The events of October 7 reminded us that we must always remain alert and vigilant. To reject the thought that our murderous and rapacious enemies desire peace or tranquility,” he said. “In every generation they rise up to destroy us. In every generation the methods are perfected, smarter, become more cruel, but the hatred is the same hatred.”

As the minister, surrounded by a phalanx of security officers, made his way out of the cemetery following the ceremony, the arguments continued outside, with pro- and anti-Ben Gvir protesters screaming at each other in the parking lot.

“Leftists aren’t Jews,” one man yelled. “There is no room for leftists after the massacre. Shame!”

“Only Bibi,” another called out, using Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s nickname.

A group of people wearing “Bring Them Home” T-shirts were accosted by Ben Gvir supporters while a police officer dressed down a protester who objected to Ben Gvir’s presence because he is a follower of the late ultranationalist Rabbi Meir Kahane.

“I’m a Kahanist,” the policeman yelled at the elderly protester, slapping himself on the chest.

It was the second year in a row that Ben Gvir’s appearance at a Memorial Day event has sparked violence.

Several ministers were greeted with protests and disruptions during Memorial Day ceremonies across the country in 2023 — amid intense national controversy over the government’s efforts at the time to overhaul the judiciary — including clashes between families of fallen soldiers at a ceremony attended by Ben Gvir at a military cemetery in Beersheba.

Seeking to head off similar eruptions of anger this year, Netanyahu and other national leaders last week signed a public pledge to “preserve the sanctity” of Memorial Day.

Despite this, the government this year assigned ministers to various Memorial Day commemorations across the country without consulting bereaved families, sparking an angry backlash.

Some politicians and family members of victims of the October 7 Hamas massacre asked government ministers and lawmakers to refrain from speaking at the various ceremonies on May 12-13, citing concerns that the day would be tainted by the presence of politicians whom many blame for the failures leading up to the unprecedented terror assault.

Aside from Ben Gvir, other cabinet members were also heckled at Memorial Day ceremonies around Israel.

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, appearing at a military cemetery in Tel Aviv, was met with a silent protest by three people holding signs, one of which read, “Their blood is on your hands.” One person also yelled at him to quit, according to an activist posting on social media.

In Netanya, Intelligence Minister Gila Gamliel spoke while a woman in the crowd yelled at her to go home. The protester briefly argued with a man in a military uniform who appeared to be providing security, as others in the crowd tried to tell her to be quiet.

In Rehovot’s military cemetery, protesters yelled “shame” and other chants at Housing Minister Yitzhak Goldknopf as he spoke. Others tried to quiet the demonstrators, leading to arguments, including some that turned physical, according to a local report.

In Holon, an older woman was seen yelling angrily at Transportation Minister Miri Regev as the local ceremony ended, calling her a “piece of shit,” among other things.

In the southern city of Ofakim, Einav Zangauker, the mother of hostage Matan Zangauker, confronted Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich outside a ceremony at a military cemetery, pressing him to end his opposition to a deal with Hamas to return those held in Gaza.

“At least make a monumental effort for those who are still alive, for those who can still be saved,” she urged him. “I’m giving you a big hug. We are obligated to bring him back and we are working toward that end,” Smotrich responded.

In recent weeks, Zangauker has become a leading voice in the anti-government protest movement.

 

Both Ben Gvir and Smotrich have angered many activists on behalf of the hostages by opposing a proposed deal that would free dozens of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza in exchange for the release of hundreds of Palestinian security prisoners and a temporary yet extended halt to the fighting.

During his address in Ofakim, Smotrich took responsibility for the mistakes of October 7, stating that “the leadership of the state and the security system failed in the task of protecting the citizens of Israel, and I, as a member of the government, take responsibility for what has been and will be.”

Times of Israel staff and Emanuel Fabian contributed to this report.