"Seed of Amalek, this is not Tel Aviv": Clashes in Be'er Sheva at a protest against the Deputy Mayor

About 50 protesters gathered today, Wednesday, outside the Be'er Sheva City Hall ahead of a city council meeting where the status of Deputy Mayor Shimon Tobol is expected to be discussed, following the filing of an indictment against him for assaulting two gas station employees during reserve duty. Tobol, according to reports, was recently associated with the Noam party.

The protesters are calling on Mayor Ruvik Danilovich to remove Tobol from his position, arguing that he cannot continue to serve as deputy mayor while under indictment. One of the protesters said at the scene:

"He didn't just attack by chance at the gas station. He also verbally attacked a 12-year-old student and her family at the beginning of 2024. This is a pattern of a violent and racist person."

On the other hand, during the demonstration, Tobol's supporters were heard shouting at the protesters: "Seed of Amalek, this is not Tel Aviv."

Last week, the Southern District Attorney's Office filed an indictment against the 43-year-old Tobol, charging him with two counts of assault. According to the indictment, during reserve duty at a gas station in Kfar Aza in September 2024, Tobol confronted a station employee over Arabic music playing from his vehicle. It is alleged that he grabbed the employee by the back of the neck, hit him, pushed him toward his vehicle, and brandished his weapon. Later, it is alleged, he also attacked another employee who tried to find out what had happened. Tobol denies the allegations against him, and the legal proceedings are ongoing.

Against the backdrop of the protest, in a video from last year, the Mayor of Be'er Sheva, Ruvik Danilovich, is seen saying that after an indictment is filed against Tobol, a discussion on the matter will be held. Now, after the indictment was filed last Tuesday, the first council meeting with Tobol's participation is taking place.

According to sources at the scene, the police managing security stated that the municipality is considering restricting public access to the council meeting. The protesters claim that if the meeting is held without an audience, it would be an attempt to prevent a public discussion on a matter of public interest. In a statement from the Be'er Sheva Municipality, it was later written:

"For security reasons, maintaining public order and public safety, and the need to conduct the council meeting in a proper and respectful manner in a hall that does not allow for physical separation, it was decided that the meeting will be held without the presence of an audience. The council meeting will be broadcast live on the official Facebook page of the municipality for the benefit of full transparency."

Following the decision, Be'er Sheva City Council member Ido Atias said: "When we arrived at the demonstration, we discovered that Mayor Ruvik decided to close the plenary session to the public, which violates the law and the municipality's regulations."