The police removed the social protesters this morning from the abandoned building on Tel Aviv's Dov Hoz Street that they took over yesterday. "We shall not be moved," the squatters declared as they set up what they called a "community center" in the building.
200 protesters entered the building, which was once the boarding school and dormitories for young theater actors. The protestors hung a large sign "Liberated Building" and chanted protest slogans. In a reminder of Tel Aviv's People's House, where the Declaration of Independence was signed, the protesters said that they would set up a People's House for community housing in the squat.
Protest leader Hadar Shemesh told “IDF Radio" (Galei Zahal), "The police evicted us. There was no violence on our part. There was some shoving and scuffles, but nothing more. We also counted two arrests. The protest is not over, and it continues by every means. We are united and the eviction will not end this."
Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai said that the squatters crossed the line and broke the law. "Until now, the Tel Aviv-Jaffa Municipality allowed and even assisted the protest in the city in accordance with the spirit of Tel Aviv democracy. I have frequently expressed my public support for this just protest and personally attended the large rally held in the city," he said yesterday.
"Regrettably, a line was crossed by a minority of hotheads who chose to break the law and take over a public property which is unsafe. These people exploited the public's credit for this acceptable and legitimate protest that is in line with Tel Aviv's values of peace, freedom of expression, and obeying the law, and put it on the path of violence and criminality. The squat is a crime, and such actions not only do not help the protest and violates democratic values, but will boomerang and hurt the protest's power, the broad support it has had until now, and its legitimacy."
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on August 23, 2011
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