Sunday, June 9, 2013

13-06-08/09 Occupy Tel Aviv #5: Sat Night - A visit to the Prime Minister's

The hosts:  Royal Couple Bibi (bombing addict) and Sarah (fashionista) Netanyahu


Jerusalem, June 9 - this Saturday night I decided to join the "not nice girls", who announced a party at the Prime Minister's. The dress code was evening/cocktail party black, woman had makeup and jewelry on. I had on freshly creased rayon black pants and contrasting black linen short sleeve shirt, my video camera and some extra cocktail napkins, just in case.
The first problem was that the venue was a bit vague: Our current Prime Minister holds three residences at full public expense, two in Jerusalem and one on the coast at Caesaria.
The chants were the same:
  • "Government, corporations - a crime organization"
  • "No to the tycoon state"
  • "They take from the poor and give to the rich - what a corrupt government"
  • "The essence is not to be afraid at all"
While Tel Aviv prides itself on its tough girls, Jerusalem has the best drummers, by far - a true synergy.
The number of participants was not that high, a few hundreds at the most. But it appeared that the Jerusalem Police panicked, in contrast with the Tel Aviv Police that handles the routine Saturday night events with ease. Live police blockades, police in riot gear, horse mounted police...
In the meanwhile, everybody was videotaping everybody else, like to true glitz event.
The police appeared to aim at blocking the demonstrators from moving anywhere, and the demonstrators engaged in a hide a seek. The demonstration would disperse, to meet again just 10 minutes later in another street corner, but in the process police would be dumbfounded where to go.
The overall experience became a night time tour of historic sites in West Jerusalem. We started near the Sergei House - a 19th century pilgrim's guest house from the Czarist period. From there we went through the arcade of the Notre Damme de France, to the corner of the walls of the old city of Jerusalem near the "New Gate", cut into the wall in the aftermath of the Crimean War, to the Franciscan Terra Sancta College. to the official residence of the prime minister.
Some dozen people were arrested, so the demonstration returned to the Russian Compound to the police station, to claim back the arrested demonstrators.
Part of the surreal scene was Arab and Ultra Orthodox Jewish spectators, who were full of questions, trying to figure out the agendas.
Overall, the drummers were superb, but the "not nice girls" are too narrowly focused on tactical and strategic goals, and they tend to see in the music just a nuisance...
I got home around 1:30am.
The next morning - no paper media coverage at all.

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