More than a hundred Israelis gathered in the center of London on Aug. 2, protesting against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, against state corruption and against what they considered the erosion of democratic norms in their homeland. Assembled near the Israeli Embassy on High Street Kensington, the protesters flew black flags — the same black flags that have become the symbol of the anti-Netanyahu movement, raising a warning sign over the danger Israel’s democracy is currently facing. The demonstration was easily organized through Facebook via groups of Israeli expats and Israeli students in the United Kingdom.
The London demonstration was not the first of its kind. Similar protests have taken place before in Paris, New York, San Francisco and Berlin. Evidently, over time, these demonstrations kept growing, with the Aug. 2 demonstration generating much interest both in the UK and in Israel. The reason for the increased interest was its timing — London’s demonstration took place just hours after a mass anti-Netanyahu rally in Jerusalem outside Netanyahu’s official residence.
