A group of Israelis living in the UK who gathered outside the Israeli Embassy on Tuesday are planning a second protest this weekend over the perceived erosion of democracy in the country.
The ongoing demonstrations from grassroots group ‘We Democracy’ are in response to what organisers call Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s “escalating assault on Israel’s democratic institutions and his reckless prioritisation of political survival over human lives”.
In a statement following Tuesday’s protest, they added that “Netanyahu’s refusal to engage in serious hostage negotiations — while renewing military action in Gaza — has left 59 hostages still trapped, many of them alive, with their fate hanging in the balance. His recent political manoeuvres, including welcoming back far-right leader Itamar Ben Gvir to secure political support, demonstrate that his primary focus is holding onto power — not protecting Israeli citizens or restoring peace.”
We Democracy: Twitter/X
They accuse the Israeli premier of “dismantling Israel’s democratic foundations”, citing his move to fire Ronen Bar, the head of intelligence agency Shin Bet, and his reported plans to do the same to Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara, who they describe as “one of the last independent safeguards of Israeli democracy.”
‘We Democracy’ claim Netanyahu’s actions are cynical and self-serving, “sacrificing the lives of the hostages to cling to power. This is not leadership — it’s survival at any cost.”
They added: “True loyalty to Israel means standing up when its core values are under threat. Remaining silent while Netanyahu dismantles democracy and abandons the hostages is the opposite of support — it’s surrendering Israel to extremists. Netanyahu is destroying the last safeguards of democracy and his actions mean death to the hostages in Gaza. If we don’t speak out now, it will soon be too late.”
A similar protest will be held on Wednesday evening in Oxford and on Sunday, 23 March.
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