The Knesset approved in a preliminary reading MK Gaby Lasky's (Meretz) bill to repeal the offense of insulting a public employee.
MK Lasky said that "this is an important achievement for freedom of expression and a real relief for demonstrators who for years had to deal with indictments for things said during an arrest or meeting with police. This is an outdated section of law that infringes on freedom of expression and which does not exist in any other country. Criminal law provides many protections for public employees so there is no need to indict expressions and file indictments.
"Data I received from an inquiry to the Ministry of Public Security show that there is a significant gap between the number of indictments filed for the offense of insulting a public employee versus the number of convictions in this section," she said.