Do The Math

I recall trying to give some tips to the anti-Disengagement/Expulsion protest activists.

One was that you try your utmost to deplete the effect of massive police power.

For example, if they decided to march on Gush Qatif, then as soon as there is an attempt seen to halt the march, the marchers - who have been forewarned and the marshalls have been trained to do this (something Israelis can't grasp because that indicates pre-planning and discipline) - break up into lines of 50-100, separate and then alternatively go left and then right and force the police to come to them in smaller numbers. This is not done violently but simply direct the march into a dispersive formation which acts on the opposing police force. I know that Ghandi would have led the marchers straight on to the police line and then halt and/or sit down and expect to get beaten but that will never work here.

Needless to say, my advice was ignored.

I was directed by AZ to some 100 pictures of the last few days of Hareidi demonstrations, okay, riots, which are here. And I picked out two of them to make a point.





And the point is: count.

Count how many policemen are dealing with the demonstrator.

In one, I see 5 to 1 and in the other 6 to 2.

Admittedly, they are being quite active and I do not know what the Hareidim were doing 15 seconds prior to the police attempting to subdue them.

But even if they were being passive (what we call in Hebrew, "a sack of potatoes") or being quite resistant to detention, the amount of time required and the number of policemen needed is large.

There is a logic to non-violent direct action.

Of course, there is the element of police violence and sometime brutality:



but that is to be exploited and used to your advantage.