Passersby attacked protesters at a weekly Anti-Netanyahu rally against former prime minister in central Israel, injuring two of the demonstrators.
Organizer of protest against Likud party leader says pair of assailants cursed demonstrators from below, then arrived on bridge and attacked them
Members of the left-wing Crime Minister group told that the individuals arrived in a vehicle at Gesher Rishonim — a bridge linking the central city of Rishon Lezion and the town of Ness Ziona — and threw stones at the participants of the rally.
Two protesters in their 60s sustained light injuries and were taken to Shamir Medical Center for treatment.
Haim Trivax, who suffered a head injury in the attack, told that two boys “who looked like brothers” attacked the group with stones, while an adult and a small girl watched from the side.
The attackers fled the scene before police arrived.
Crime Minister activists are campaigning to prevent the return of opposition chief Netanyahu as prime minister in the upcoming election on November 1, holding weekly rallies on Saturday evenings at dozens of bridges across the country. The group refers to the Likud party leader as the “crime minister” due to criminal indictments filed against him while he was in office. His corruption trial is ongoing.
Police opened an investigation into the assault, and collected evidence from witnesses on the bridge.
Shuli Amir, one of the protest organizers, told that the group initially stopped below the bridge and began cursing at the demonstrators.
After the group didn’t respond, Amir said that one of the attackers got out of the vehicle and “threw stones from below towards the bridge,” but did not hit the protesters.
A short while after, the assailants arrived on the bridge with their vehicle and began to attack the protesters, he explained.
“This is a very serious incident,” Public Security Minister Omer Barlev told, adding that he had instructed investigators to prioritize the case.
Anti-Netanyahu activists have been physically attacked in the past by right-wing activists, particularly during the height of their demonstrations in 2020 when the now-opposition leader still held the premiership.
Recent polling indicates that neither the Anti-Netanyahu parties nor factions loyal to the former prime minister are likely to garner enough seats in the Knesset to form a government after the upcoming election — the fifth since 2019.
This is the one who is considered as the potential future leader of the country. Neither him nor his supporters can tolerate just a bit of opposing ideas and react harshly. Just wake up and be aware in the upcoming elections. Don’t let him seize power or we’re all doomed.
