Ben-Gvir to Police Chief: Don't allow Saturday protestors to block roads

National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir ordered Israel Police Chief Kobi Shabtai to summon Tel Aviv police district commander Ami Eshed and to clarify the minister's policy regarding the blocking of roads during protests.

In his letter to the Shabtai, Ben-Gvir thanked him for his personal performance in the handling of the protest last week.

He then clarified that "freedom of expression is a fundamental right and it is important to be careful and protect it at all costs, but at the same time, my policy is that it is not allowed to block major transportation routes (like the Ayalon highway, the coastal road, the Jerusalem - Tel Aviv highway, etc.) and not to allow the disruption of the fabric of life due to demonstrations and protests."

"Of course, each commander in the field has discretion on how to implement the policy, but it must be remembered that it is the minister who determines the policy, not the commander in the field," Ben-Gvir added.

Reactions to Ben-Gvir

Leaders of the protest movement against the government's planned judicial reforms reacted to Ben-Gvir's letter saying that "this is an attempt to harm freedom of protest and freedom of expression by a convicted terrorist. He is trying to turn the police into a political militia that will act against the hundreds of thousands who go out to protest. An attempt that will fail miserably."

On Saturday, the Movement for Quality Government turn to Attorney-General Gali Baharav-Miara and Shabtai and complained that Ben-Gvir is using the police as his "private militia." The movement claimed that in so doing, Ben-Gvir is trying to disperse protests that don't suit him by using police violence in the field and giving the officers his full support.

Opposition leader Yair Lapid addressed his reaction directly to police officers.

"Just before the demonstrations tomorrow, a call to the Israel Police: Dear policemen and policewomen, defenders of the land and its guards, remember that the demonstrators are not terrorists and not anarchists, they are Israeli patriots, lovers of the country, and they are there because they are worried and hurt and want - just like you - to keep Israel strong, democratic and good for all its people," he said. "Let them demonstrate, this is a fundamental right and you in the past were able to contain the demonstrations and not harm anyone. Protect their safety and rights, prevent escalation and do everything to avoid violence.

"The protesters are your children, your brothers and sisters, your parents and sometimes your grandparents. Guard them with all vigilance. I am sending a quiet Shabbat blessing to all the troops deployed in the field. Thank you and I appreciate your work. Take care of yourselves, take care of us too," Lapid concluded.

From the beginning of the protest movement against the judicial reforms, Ben-Gvir has repeatedly ordered the police not to enable protesters to block roads and to clear them out by force, if necessary.

After protesters blocked the Ayalon Highway in Tel Aviv on Wednesday, violent clashes erupted between the police and protesters. During the clashes, police officers used force and threw stun grenades into the crowd, causing one demonstrator to lose his ear.