Protestors return to Caesarea after a night of violence outside the PM's home

After violent clashes outside the Prime Minister's family home in Caesarea on Friday, protestors again gather outside his home.

 Protests against the judicial reform at Kaplan Street in Tel Aviv, May 27, 2023. (photo credit: AVSHALOM SASSONI/MAARIV)
Protests against the judicial reform at Kaplan Street in Tel Aviv, May 27, 2023.
(photo credit: AVSHALOM SASSONI/MAARIV)

About a thousand people protested against the judicial reform in front of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's house in Caesarea on Saturday after violent clashes between police and protesters that happened there on Friday night.

About a thousand demonstrators arrived in Caesarea near Netanyahu's house, blocking the traffic on a main road and holding signs that read "We are all Gidi", referring to the 21-year-old Gidi Baran who was arrested on Friday night amid the clashes. 

The clashes broke out as Israel Police were trying to use crowd dispersal methods at the protest.

Four demonstrators were arrested, including Moshe Radman, one of the leaders of the hi-tech protest and one of the organizers of Saturday's demonstration in Caesarea.

Later on Friday night, 14 more protesters were arrested on suspicion of disorderly conduct, when hundreds of people gathered at the police station in Hadera and blocked the station gate, in protest of the clashes in Caesarea. 

 Protests against the judicial reform at Kaplan Street in Tel Aviv, May 27, 2023. (credit: AVSHALOM SASSONI/MAARIV)
Protests against the judicial reform at Kaplan Street in Tel Aviv, May 27, 2023. (credit: AVSHALOM SASSONI/MAARIV)

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir said on Saturday night that he supported the conduct of police in Caesarea on Friday night. Ben Gvir says he will speak with the Prosecutor's office and encourage them to use the full extent of the law against "Thugs who attack cops." He continued saying "Those who attack the police should be treated with zero tolerance, our job is to protect the police and democracy."

Responding to Ben Gvir, the organizers of the protests said "A person convicted of terrorism backs up police violence. He is not the National Security Minister, he is the minister of violence and incitement. Ben Gvir get it into your head: we are not afraid of you, we will continue to demonstrate everywhere against the accomplices of the coup attempt."

The main protest in Tel Aviv

Aside from the protest in Caesarea, the main demonstration on Kaplan Street in Tel Aviv was set to be held as usual on Saturday night. The protest will be addressed by former minister Limor Livnat, journalist Mickey Rosenthal, Chairwoman of the LGBT Association Hila Parr, and Brig.-Gen. (res.) David Agmon, former director of Netanyahu's office. Radman, one of the leaders of the hi-tech protest, who was arrested and injured on Friday night in the demonstration in Caesarea, was added to the list of speakers.

Traffic was blocked in both directions  for a short time at the Kaplan junction of the Ayalon highway Saturday evening, according to Israeli media. 

The organizers of the Kaplan protest announced that this week's demonstration will open with a minute of silence and be held in a different manner than usual due to the death of the three soldiers at the Egyptian border.