"Let's not get carried away thinking that we, too, can engage in hundreds of acts of violence a day against Jews and face only occasional reactions."
Tel Aviv, September 3 - The loudest contingent of Israel's recurring demonstrations - those who piggyback their opposition to the incumbent prime minister on the emotional resonance of the plight of the remaining hostages in Gaza - appreciate the sensitivity of their political demographic, a prominent figure in those rallies and marches acknowledged today, and must constantly remind the hardcore elements of their constituency not to engage in anything more destructive than blocking some roads, because they lack the levels of melanin necessary to avoid arrest for more egregious offenses.
While some outlier incidents have resulted in outright violence during the more-or-less weekly protests against Binyamin Netanyahu and his Likud-led government, the overwhelming focus on, and popularity of, the hostage issue has muted the valence and extreme behavior of the specifically anti-Netanyahu contingent attempting to coopt the hostage issue. That reality, and the realization that light-skinned rioters would never get away with anything but the mildest violence, such as pushing, under current police and media policies, have led protest organizers such as Nir Arson to admonish fellow anti-Bibi activists to keep things verbal.
"We're not Arabs," he cautioned, "as if I need to remind you. "We're not Ethiopians. Were not Eritrean migrants. We're not, in the main, even Mizrahim. So watch it, because our skin color and assumed privilege does not afford us the luxury of having any extreme violence excused or overlooked. We're certainly not Palestinian, so let's not get carried away thinking that we, too, can engage in hundreds of acts of violence a day against Jews and face only occasional reactions."
"Don't go thinking you can hit somebody, or throw stones, and have the media side with you after the police finally deign to arrest you," he continued. "That won't work for us. We're not Bedouin, who can truck away cargo containers from IDF bases, run protection rackets, and face no consequences, not even any reports in the news. We're not Palestinian car thieves, who post their contraband on Telegram with prices, Israeli license plates fully visible, and feel no concern that they might end up handcuffed, or even that most Israelis will be aware of the scale of the phenomenon. We don't have the right appearance for any of that. Keep it non-violent."
Mr. Arson's comrades nevertheless insisted that the police change their policy, so that the default response to any gathering of three or more Haredim involves live fire.
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