I'm from Israel and I'm very close to all the action that's going on these days in Tel Aviv. Last month protesters started sleeping in tents on some of the main boulevards in Tel Aviv. There are already tents on the streets of some other cities.
I belong to a very small group of Israeli libertarians. Maybe 50 that live close to Tel Aviv. When the protests started we just couldn't sit still and we opened a stand on Rothschild Boulevard where the "leaders" of the protest sit. We handed out leaflets and held up signs that say "Lower the taxes, Reduce the size of the government" and others about the free market. A lot of people were interested and came to ask us questions, we told them that we support the protest against the high cost of living but we identify the government as the cause of this problem and we offer a different solution, a free market one. To my surprise a lot of people came just to say that we are right and that they don't support the demands of the protesters.
Another thing, the media in Israel is very biased, it simply encourages the protesters and helps them a lot. They don't show on TV some of the bad things that can harm the image of the protest. They also don't tell that the protest is lead by some political movements that want to replace the government and act as if they aren't about politics. The few "leaders" that speak for the people don't really represent the protesters opinions but they keep saying that they speak for everyone. They keep on lying and with the help of the media the lie is growing. The protest is absolutely not of the people, and many just don't realize it.
Tomorrow we will try to get some attention with a protest for less taxes and more free market solutions. We will be a small group of people but hopefully we'll get enough attention to undermine the confident in this big lie.
There's so much to be said. But in short, don't believe the media in Israel. The more you get closer to the protest the more you see different things.
I really hope that the "leaders" won't get what they want, otherwise it will be a disaster.
- Tal
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
A Libertarian Reports on the Economic Protests in Israel
Lifted from the comments. Talz writes:
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
"The few "leaders" that speak for the people don't really represent the protesters opinions but they keep saying that they speak for everyone. They keep on lying and with the help of the media the lie is growing."
ReplyDeleteSounds very similar to a recent political movement in the States...
Go Israeli and Jewish libertarians! These guys are the hope of the world in my opinion.
ReplyDeleteBTW, has anyone ever noticed how harshly jews who express or have exppressed libertarian, free-market, anarchocapitalist or austrian viewpoints are treated in the mainstream media (LVM, Rothbard come immediately to mind). In my experience they are either denigrated or ignored altogether. It seems to be the same policy that is reserved for jews who are anti-zionist. Leaders of any popular movement or establishment position treat the enemy within as the gravest threat . For that is where the trouble always begins.