Protesters chain themselves to Communications Ministry calling for free press

Protesters chained themselves together, blocking the entrance to the Communications Ministry Thursday morning, as additional demonstrators participated in a protest installation depicting the hanging of Israeli news channels outside the entrance to the ministry.

Two protesters dressed as newscasters sat next to the hanged news channels, pretending to broadcast for “Dictator TV: The end of the free press.”

The blocking of the entrance to the ministry was part of a protest that began in Jerusalem’s Zion Square, with a small group of protesters calling for democracy and warning against the return of the judicial overhaul.

The protest followed the passing of a controversial bill to privatize the Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation (IPBC) in a preliminary vote last week and the advancement of a series of additional bills seen by some as a continuation of the attempted overhaul.

 “The judicial overhaul never truly stopped, but after October 7, it slowed down until the opening of the current winter session. Since the session began, the coalition has been advancing numerous laws aimed at strengthening government power and dismantling the few remaining checks and balances that protect Israeli democracy,” said protest organization Changing Direction, which led Thursday’s protest.

“We, the protest movement to replace the government, along with other Israeli citizens who value a democratic state, will not allow Israel to become a dictatorship,” it said.

“We will not allow harm to the free press, we will not allow harm to the separation of powers, we will not allow harm to the gatekeepers, and we will not allow any harm to free elections in Israel,” the organization said. “These are not slogans – we are taking to the streets and will continue to do so, protesting resolutely against a government that sees only itself. Together, with persistence and determination, we will repair and rebuild everything that has been destroyed.”

Critics of the bill

Last week, the Attorney-General’s Office expressed “serious concerns” that the real purpose of the bill to privatize the IPBC was to shut down a media outlet that is critical of the government and create a “chilling effect” on other media outlets.

According to the A-G, the bill “joins a series of proposals being advanced at this time that threaten the corporation’s independence and ability to fulfill its public roles.”

Opposition leader Yesh Atid head Yair Lapid also called the bill “an attack on Israeli democracy, on Israeli freedom of expression, and on Israeli creativity, under the guise of addressing the corporation’s issues.”

Eight were arrested at Thursday’s protest as police forcibly removed the demonstrators from the entrance to the ministry.

Police said that they declared the protest an illegal gathering, and “after [protesters] refused to comply with police instructions, continued barricading themselves in the location, and disturbing others at the scene, the officers were left with no choice but to restore public order by arresting eight of the individuals who persisted in their refusal to leave the premises.

“The Israel Police will continue to allow freedom of protest for everyone within the boundaries of the law,” it said. “However, it will take action against public disturbances, endangering bystanders, and other unlawful acts that harm the freedom of movement of a large number of bystanders.”

Eliav Breuer contributed to this report.