55-year-old man detained over Facebook post opposing Pride March

Thursday, July 21, 2016, 16:38 On the night of Wednesday, July 20 a 55-year-old Rishon LeTzion resident was detained by detectives from the Central Unit of the Jerusalem Police on suspicion of inciting to interfere with the Pride March scheduled to take place the following day in Jerusalem. The basis for the detention is several posts which the detainee posted on his Facebook page.
The police demanded that his remand be extended by five days. The court accepted Honenu Attorney Avichai Hajbi’s opinion and ordered his release.
The Rishon L’Tzion resident denies that he incited to injure participants in the march and stated that all he did was express opposition to the march. In several posts he stressed that he does not intend to incite injury to the marchers and wrote, “I am not inciting to harm anyone and I do not suggest to take the law into one’s own hands, but whoever does not oppose it [the march] is as if agreeing to it.”
During a deliberation on Thursday, July 21 the police representatives demanded that the court extend his remand by five days. Jerusalem Magistrate Court Judge David Shaul Gabai Richter rejected the demand and accepted Honenu Attorney Avichai Hajbi’s opinion.
Hajbi stated during the deliberation that approximately one week previously policemen from the Rishon L’Tzion Police Station ordered the Rishon L’Tzion resident not to enter Jerusalem at the time of the march. A police representative confirmed that since then they have not received new information and they are relying solely on the Facebook posts.
Judge Gabai Richter ordered the release of the detainee to house arrest until after Shabbat on Saturday, July 23, and also prohibited him to write on social media networks for a month and a half.
Honenu Attorney Avichai Hajbi: “The demand by the Central Unit of the Jerusalem Police is surprising and outrageous. Last week the Rishon L’Tzion police were satisfied with only banning my client from entering Jerusalem. No reason was given for the Central Unit of the Jerusalem Police demanding that my client be detained as opposed to the Rishon L’Tzion Police. Therefore the court rejected the police demand and accepted our opinion.”
In a related case a teacher was given a warning in the middle of the night regarding statements to homosexuals and arriving at either the Pride March or anywhere else in Jerusalem on Thursday.