All Cops Are Bastards

Police detained five protesters in northern Israel's Haifa during an anti-war demonstration for donning t-shirts with "stop the war" written on them, which police said was illegal.

The protest, which took place in Haifa's Hadar HaCarmel neighborhood, included a few demonstrators calling for an end to the war between Israel and Iran and for an end to the war in the Gaza Strip.

In footage obtained by Haaretz, a policewoman is seen telling the protesters that “‘Stop the war’ is something that’s illegal to have on a shirt.” The police stated that the protesters were detained so that they could “give testimony.”

Two protesters who were present at the demonstration said that protesters stood silently and held signs. "Police officers arrived and said that the demonstration was illegal," they recounted. "We told them that we don't need authorization for such a small demonstration, and then they started tearing the signs from our hands."

Afterwards, according to the two protesters, more police officers arrived and began demanding that the protesters disperse and threatened to arrest the protesters because of the writing on their shirts.

Arrests and unwarranted detention of anti-war protesters have become a recurring phenomenon in Haifa since the outbreak of the Gaza war.

In April, 23 protesters were arrested during a demonstration on Ben-Gurion Boulevard, after police claimed [that] they were "chanting slogans against Israel and its actions that could disturb public order."

At the time, police stated that the protesters ignored officers’ instructions and disregarded the declaration that the protest was illegal. Last June, Haifa Mayor Yona Yahav said that anti-war protests should not take place in Haifa.

In conversation with local journalists, Yahav said, "I don't think freedom of expression should be exercised in Haifa. These are political protests, and their place is in Israel's capital."

Following a Haaretz inquiry, police stated that "the commander of the Coastal District instructed officers to review the issue of protests and the proper implementation of freedom of expression within the framework of the law."

According to the police, they "will not permit demonstrations that incite against Israel or IDF soldiers, and will not allow behavior that may disturb public peace, security, or public order."