What Are They Trying to Sell Us in the Name of “The Protest”
Why Does It Always Come with a Palestinian Flag and a Blocked Highway?**
Or: Why is everyone who yells “DEMOCRACY!” always the first to stop your bus?
Once upon a time, the word “protest” brought to mind a mom holding a sign about the cost of living, a farmer fighting for water rights, or a frustrated student complaining about cafeteria prices.
Today?
A protest is half-parade, half anti-Zionist rally, plus a bonus mix of tear gas, popsicles, and a sign that reads: “Bennett is Bibi but Purple.”
What exactly are they selling us?
That protest = freedom.
That protest = democracy.
That protest = sacred civic duty.
But when your protest comes packaged with enemy flags, pop-art portraits of Nasrallah, and the occasional scuffle with IDF soldiers…
Either it’s not a protest, or someone got confused between democracy and demolition.
Spot the Standard Media-Friendly Protest:
☑ Palestinian flags, of course.
☑ Drums, whistles, and a T-shirt proudly stating “I Have No Other Country.”
☑ At least three retired professors quoting Hanoch Levin like it’s scripture.
☑ Signs about “Ending the Occupation” – even if the rally is technically about municipal tax reform.
☑ Blocking the Ayalon Highway, because where else will you meet that many angry Israelis before 9 AM?
And remind us again… what was the demand?
Nobody’s quite sure.
Sometimes it’s about judicial reform.
Sometimes it’s about the Supreme Court.
Sometimes it’s just Thursday – and people need somewhere to unload.
The important thing is: megaphones, lycra bodysuits in Pride colors, and a crowd convinced you’re a fascist simply because you arrived in uniform.
When Does a Protest Stop Being a Protest and Start Becoming Violent Privilege?
- When demonstrators block roads, then complain the police lift them off the asphalt.
- When ministers get splashed with paint “as an act of free expression.”
- When people scream “DEMOCRACY!” while canceling anyone who disagrees.
- When the justice system keeps murder suspects under house arrest – but releases a protester who assaulted a cop because it’s “part of the civic space.”
Meanwhile, in the media:
| Event | Media Description |
|---|---|
| A Jew blocks a road after a terror attack | “Messianic extremist” |
| An anarchist blocks the Ayalon waving a Palestinian flag | “Concerned citizen and true democrat” |
| A settler protests in Samaria | “Threatens the social fabric” |
| A Bedouin burns tires outside a police station | “A cry of pain from the periphery” |
So What’s Really Going On?
Is there real protest?
Absolutely.
But there’s also a commercial narrative:
- Protest is legitimate – but only if you’re holding the correct opinion.
- Demonstration is a “right” – but mainly if you’re a Tel Aviv progressive.
- And if you’re right-wing, religious, a settler, or simply not embarrassed to sing Hatikvah in public?
Then you’re not a protester – you’re “dangerous.”
So What Do We Do?
We differentiate between real protest and identity-based performance art.
We stop buying every slogan shouted through a megaphone.
We understand a simple rule:
If the flags flying above the protest belong to other nations,
maybe the goal isn’t to fix Israel –
maybe it’s to dismantle it.
Bottom Line
Real protest is a powerful force in any democracy.
But when every other Thursday someone blocks the Ayalon in the name of “values” written in Arabic, it’s worth asking:
“Who’s actually protesting here – and who’s just trying to reprogram you?”
הירשמו כדי לקבל את הפוסטים האחרונים אל המייל שלכם
