Pro-judicial reform ‘liberty protest’ expected to draw thousands to Jerusalem

'We won’t let the Supreme Court nullify Basic Laws,' says Smotrich ahead of the rally

Just days before a potentially fateful High Court hearing to nullify the coalition’s Reasonableness Law, Israel’s right-wing is calling for supporters of the judicial reform to attend the “liberty protest” in front of the Supreme Court building in Jerusalem on Thursday evening.

Next Tuesday, Sept. 12, the High Court is scheduled to hear petitions against the law, which is part of the government’s judicial reform and prevents the court from negating laws and ministerial decrees based on their “reasonableness.”

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who is expected to speak at the demonstration, said in a statement on Wednesday that “we won’t let the Supreme Court nullify Basic Laws, which clearly means taking our ballots and chucking them into the trash.

“When the High Court voids Basic Laws, the High Court takes our liberty and our right to choose, and decides it is the legislator, instead of the Knesset,” he added.

“They won’t take our voice,” protest organizers wrote on the posters, calling on the public to attend.

“The moment of decision has arrived!” popular right-wing activist Berale Crombie wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

“We are coming today to tell the High Court that you have no authority to invalidate the people's choice! You are not the sovereign - the people are the sovereign!”

Crombie also connected the protest to the recent violent riots carried out by Eritrean illegal immigrants in Tel Aviv, which injured at least 160 people, including 40 policemen.

“The High Court of Justice protected the infiltrators in Israel. Tonight we will tell him, enough. We are the sovereign - not you!” Crombie said.

On Wednesday, Knesset Speaker and Likud party Knesset Member Amir Ohana warned that the Knesset won’t “meekly accept being trampled and told the High Court to “recognize also the limitations of [its] power, recognize that in a democracy no authority is omnipotent.”

Alongside Smotrich, the expected speakers at the rally include Likud party Knesset Member Boaz Bismuth, as well as Sheffi Paz, an activist against illegal immigration and journalist Caroline Glick.