Leftists petition court for right to wave Palestinian flags at protest
Two activists organizing Saturday rally claim police would not approve
demonstration unless they promise not to wave Palestinians flags
Aviad Glickman YNET Published: 01.01.09, 20:36 / Israel News
www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3649004,00.html

Two left-wing activists filed a petition with the High Court of Justice
Thursday demanding that police be forced to allow them to stage an anti-IDF
protest.

The activists claim authorities announced they would allow the protest only
if they promised not to wave Palestinian flags, a condition the petition
said was unlawful and unfeasible.

Ayala Maoz and Hagai Matar are two of the organizers of a procession and
rally scheduled for Saturday evening. The event is intended to protest the
military operation in Gaza.

They claim the condition posed by the police lacks logic and legality, and
that despite the fact that they were not intending to wave Palestinian flags
at the protest, they could not vouch for the other demonstrators in
attendance.

Maoz and Matar say police were afraid the presence of the flags would anger
people of opposing political views and result in possible riots, as the
angered parties may become violent.

Thus, the petition says, the police's fear is not due to the behavior of the
demonstrators, but "criminal passers-by who want to harm the participants."
They asked the court to hold an emergency hearing on the petition so the
protest would not have to be postponed.

The Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI) joined the activists'
struggle by sending a letter to Attorney General Menachem Mazuz regarding
the arrests of numerous demonstrators who protested the IDF operation in
Gaza.

The letter warns against adopting policies allowing for numerous arrests and
dispersal of protestors, as this constitutes a violation of the right to
freedom of speech.