Democrats activists attacked during leafleting in Givatayim

Activists from the Democrats were physically and verbally attacked on Friday in Givatayim while carrying out street campaigning. Party leader Yair Golan posted video of the incident on social media and accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of helping fuel the atmosphere behind it.

In Golan’s account, one female activist was confronted by a woman who grabbed and threw the leaflets out of her hands, spat on them several times, and then knocked the phone from the person filming the encounter. In the background of the video, the woman can be heard asking the activist, “Do you know that I am from a bereaved family?”

The remark drew a strong reaction online, with some users expressing sympathy for the woman’s distress and others condemning the violence. Golan said the incident showed that “political violence and incitement from above are seeping into the street,” and added that “the poison machine no longer settles for lies, incitement and threats online.”

He said such intimidation would not stop his party’s activists from continuing their field work. “I say clearly to Netanyahu and his partners, you will not scare us,” Golan wrote, calling on party members to keep “standing with pride, courage and determination” and to continue speaking with the public and working for political change. The episode comes amid rising political tensions and ahead of expected elections, with recent polls putting the Democrats at 9 to 11 seats as they try to strengthen their position in the center left bloc.