Friends,
This is an update and new information about the
Jerusalem vigil of Women in Black.
Brief recap:
For years, right-wing extremists have harrassed
Women in Black at vigils throughout Israel, shouting racist and fascist
slogans.Jerusalem Women in Black have far out-numbered the right-wing,
but the right is particularly violent and therefore the Jerusalem police
caved in to them and proposed a Solomonic course of action: that we
each demonstrate at Hagar Square on alternate Fridays.
Women in Black immediately rejected this proposal.
The right -- represented by a man who has frequently been arrested for
assault of Arabs and us -- accepted it at once.
The following week, thanks to an amazing response
from supporters in Jerusalem, we were 160 women and men at the Jerusalem
Women in Black. As a result, the police declared that Women in Black
could have the vigil that Friday, but that the right would have it the
following week.
Jerusalem Women in Black met a few days
later and decided the following:
We will continue to hold our vigil at Hagar Square
every Friday. Until further notice, however, the Jerusalem vigil would
be held at 12:00 noon -- one hour earlier than usual -- thereby leaving
the right without a reason for demonstrating.
In parallel, and after consulting with human
rights lawyer Lea Tsemel, we faxed a letter to the Jerusalem police
with the following message (in Hebrew): "Your proposal is totally
unacceptable to us. It is inconceivable that the Israel Police would
forego protection of our right to express our views." We asked
for a meeting with the police to resolve this matter 'in good spirit'.
Yesterday, we held the vigil at noon, one hour
earlier than usual. Despite the change of hour and the fact that it
was the eve of Rosh Hashana, almost 100 people showed up. Several policemen
present asked us if we had changed the hour. We said that we had not,
but that we were demonstrating at noon that day to show the police that
we do not want confrontation with the right. Nevertheless, we demand
to continue at Hagar Square every Friday at 1 pm, as we have had for
14.5 years. The vigil dispersed early, as planned, just as carloads
of police arrived to handle the anticipated battle between Women in
Black and the right.
The patrolmen looked surprised to see us leaving.
I sat in my car at some distance and watched as 7 right-wing demonstrators
showed up at 1:00; I counted more police than demonstrators. I don't
know how long the right remained, but they must have felt bereft without
us.
The coming vigil is planned for Friday at 12:00,
even though the police 'allow' us to use the square at 1 p.m. A small
group of Women in Black will meet with the police this week to demand
our rights. If the right shows up at noon, that will strengthen our
case they their only raison d'etre is our presence, and the police should
protect our right to demonstrate at 1 pm.
Meanwhile, we ask women and men to join us this
coming Friday, in black, at noon.
We ask veterans of the movement to call (or e-mail)
Judy Blanc or me to prepare affidavits that we will need for the anticipated
legal battle.
We will keep you informed.
Gila Svirsky
Jerusalem
gsvirsky@netvision.net.il