Environmental Protection Minister Idit Silman (Likud) was unable to give a speech at a conference of the Israel Society of Ecology and Environmental Sciences which took place in Tel Aviv on Wednesday morning, as she was repeatedly interrupted by anti-government protesters.
Commenting on the incident in a speech in the Knesset later in the day, Silman said, "They are using the democracy of silencing [those who disagree with them]. You are making a big mistake and it won't help you. You can keep shouting, but we have 64 seats, it’s a fait accompli and this is a government that will rule here for a good four years, so you should start getting used to this. Don't engage in a discourse of silencing because that is the most undemocratic thing."
"All those who talk about the climate and protect the environment, I have not heard any of them come out against the fireworks that were fired in the demonstrations in Tel Aviv or the tires that were burned and polluted the environment or the number of flyers that are being posted everywhere and making everything dirty. None of them came out against this. Amazing. This is what we call hypocrisy," the minister added.
Hebrew video: