Mifal Hapayis, Israel’s national lottery, cancelled a convention of the radical-left Breaking the Silence group that was to have taken place tonight at the Kiryat Ono’s city library, built with funds donateed by Mifal Hapayis.
The convention, organized at the initiative of MK Michal Rozin (Meretz), also met with opposition from Kiryat Ono’s Mayor Yisrael Gal.
Breaking the Silence slammed the cancellation, and said they would be protesting this evening outside the library.
“We couldn’t believe that, in our city, there would be calls for violence and the silencing of voices, only because several soldiers soldiers are coming to talk about where we sent them, what they saw, and what impressions they came out with,” they said.
“Although Mifal Hapayis and the Mayor are not allowing us to hold the event in the library, that doesn’t mean that we’re giving up and relinquishing our freedom of expression. We will demonstrate together against the attack of ‘Minister of Censorship’ Regev and Mifal Hapayis, which works in her service.”
Minister of Culture and Sport Miri Regev (Likud) said that “the demonstration of Michal Rozin from Meretz and the Breaking the Silence organization outside the library in Kiryat Ono is an exact implementation of my vision and policy: freedom of expression and freedom to protest - but not at the expense of the public’s money.”
“I will fight so that you can protest outside the library. But inside the library there is no place and will be no place for Breaking the Silence and those like you - not in Israel. Maybe in the Palestinian Authority. Try there,” she suggested.