Crime Minister protests held in Tel Aviv for first time in over a year

"Crime Minister" is a movement that was started against Benjamin Netanyahu who is on trial for corruption.

 Crime Minister protestors hold up a sign that says "for democracy, against dictatorship." (photo credit: AVSHALOM SASSONI/MAARIV)
Crime Minister protestors hold up a sign that says "for democracy, against dictatorship."
(photo credit: AVSHALOM SASSONI/MAARIV)

The Crime Minister movement protested in Tel Aviv on Saturday for the first time since Naftali Bennett and Prime Minister Yair Lapid's government was sworn into office in June of last year.

The Crime Minister movement started while Benjamin Netanyahu was still prime minister. The people in the movement protested against Netanyahu every Saturday night both outside the prime minister's house on Balfour Street in Jerusalem and in Tel Aviv.

Saturday's protest was against the possibility of Netanyahu becoming prime minister again, but also against Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich of the Religious Zionist Party joining into his coalition if he won the election.

"Corrupt and messianic"

One poster for the protest featured the three politicians, who the movement called corrupt and messianic, on a poster in colors that evoke wild west wanted posters with Netanyahu smoking a cigar.

 A Crime Minister holds up a poster reading ''Netanyahu is Ben Gvir, Ben Gvir is Netanyahu'' while a pro-Benjamin Netanyahu protestor holds up a poster reading ''Israel is only the nation of the Jewish people.'' (credit: AVSHALOM SASSONI/MAARIV)
A Crime Minister holds up a poster reading ''Netanyahu is Ben Gvir, Ben Gvir is Netanyahu'' while a pro-Benjamin Netanyahu protestor holds up a poster reading ''Israel is only the nation of the Jewish people.'' (credit: AVSHALOM SASSONI/MAARIV)

This is a reference to the ongoing trial against Netanyahu who is being accused of corruption.

Another poster read "Bibistan or Israel."

Pro-Netanyahu people also showed up to the location in order to hold a counter-protest. Their signs suggested that Netanyahu is the leader the country needs while other signs read "it's Bibi or Tibi", suggesting that if Netanyahu doesn't take office, it will give more power to Joint Arab List's Ahmad Tibi.

"The threat to democracy that the defendant (Netanyahu) planned to bring to us, that we managed to stop thanks to the Balfour protest, is once again present, and it's more dangerous than ever due to the corrupt and dangerous alliance that he has struck with the messianic cult and the Kahanists," said a statement from Crime Minister.

"Now is the time to wake up and understand that Netanyahu doesn't have a government without Ben Gvir, and if we don't stop him again, it won't be the democratic and liberal Israel we know today."

"Now is the time to wake up and understand that Netanyahu doesn't have a government without Ben Gvir, and if we don't stop him again, it won't be the democratic and liberal Israel we know today."

Crime Minister

Last week, in a press conference, Ben-Gvir suggested a plan in which the right-wing parties united in the upcoming election to ensure that they lead the government.