Column Warns That Protest Tactics Are Crossing the Line

An opinion column argues that protests involving road blockages, public disruption and political refusal have gone beyond what is legitimate in a democracy. Using a metaphor about children playing football on a roof, the writer says democracy needs a clear “fence,” meaning law and public order, or else freedom becomes dangerous rather than liberating.

The piece says the right to protest is fundamental, but insists that systematic road closures, wild strikes, calls to withdraw investments and political refusal that weakens the military are no longer lawful forms of expression. It accuses those who normalized the phenomenon, especially government legal adviser Gali Baharav-Miara, who said that “there is no effective protest without disruption of public order,” of giving institutional backing to anarchy.

The column also criticizes Tel Aviv district police commander Ami Ashad, claiming he normalized the disruptions during his command and may even have taken part in them, and it faults the judicial system for quickly releasing some of those arrested. It says the most recent escalation came last week, when protesters acted in an anarchic and violent way outside the home of Supreme Court Justice Noam Sohlberg in Alon Shvut, and demands immediate arrest and harsh punishment.

The writer calls for tougher enforcement, including heavy on-the-spot fines, reducing standing to block political petitions, civil damages suits against blockade organizers, and administrative license suspensions for road blockers. It argues that police and prosecutors already have extensive documentation and evidence, and warns that if the trend is not stopped now, public trust, the social contract and ultimately state stability will collapse.