Avtipus-Just do not fall

I'm pretty surprised how emotional this song made me feel. I came across it completely by chance earlier today and ever since I've been in a pretty pensive mood. The youtube description says that "this was recorded in July 2012, written in the summer of 2011 with the outbreak of the tent protest to encourage ourselves, our friends, and everyone who isn't giving up, isn't discouraged and continues to push this huge boulder up the mountain". There's a lot of optimism in these words but this song is so melancholic and heavy-it's a good reminder of why the protest exists as well as its importance but there's also a huge feeling of crisis and uncertainty. Since late May/early June there have been renewed protests-not as huge as the ones from last summer but also not as small as some people thought. Mainly there was a sense that it wasn't the top story in the media so it wasn't the top story on everybody's minds-and it felt like it was fading away. However all that changed on Friday June 22 when Dafni Lif together with a group of protesters wanted to renew the Rotschild tent city-after they didn't get a permit from the city counsel. Things got very violent and Lif ended up badly bruised by the police and arrested. And then came the very violent protest on Saturday. At first it was very blurry to me what exactly happened on that night-at first from the news it seemed that a small group of protesters got aggressive, smashed bank windows, created a riot and fought with cops. But then when I checked out twitter and facebook it appeared that the protester's vandalism acts was minor compared to how the Special Patrol Unit handled the protesters-with violence, curses and fury mostly towards unharmful men and women. Here is what Itai Anghel, one of the only journalists I completely respect, reported: http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/baghdad-congo-tel-aviv.premium-1.447790. The setting of the protest was the banks by Gan Hair, right next to the City Hall whose painted escalators starred in last week's video by Kutiman. It's also right by Rabin Square. One of the most chilling tweets I came across was by someone who wrote: "Miri Regev [says] the protesters want to turn Rabin Square to Tahrir Square. That's more legitamite than what the extreme right did: which is turning Kings of Israel Square to Rabin Square." It also reminded me what the late Rabin said in his last speech before he was assassinated: "Violence erodes the basis of democracy. It should be condemned, denounced and isolated". In this past Saturday's protest there was no violence but there was anger-and also a group who split from the official protest and blocked roads-not only in Tel Aviv but also in Jerusalem and Haifa. From what I understand there's now a tent city in a new location picked by the mayor-near the train station and away from the heart of the city. This way it won't disturb the city residents but it also won't bother anyone else so there's a lot of criticism on behalf of activists and it's very small (for now). So, after almost a year since it first started it's still very hard to pinpoint exactly what has changed (it feels like nothing and everything at the same time), where things are now and where they are headed. What's certain is that it's going to be a very interesting summer.
Avtipus (prototype) are a great band from the 90's with hits like these  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I2OKUsA3X0M and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UwNM-nbaI_o&feature=related (so 90's!). For me they represent the true face of the protest-not dreamy twenty somethings who want to live in the city and change the world but rather well experienced family men fed up with where things are going who see the possibility of creating a better society for their children.

Chutes and ladders
Climbing and diving
There is not a place without quiet
There is not a place with crawling

Dear friends
In the kingdom of survivors
In the place where there is no bridge
Over troubled water

Flying low
Above the dirt
Barely falling asleep
Waking up without a smile
And the ground always shakes under the feet
Just do not fall


Withdrawals and refunds
Loans and losses
In a place where there is no grace
And no pity

Flying low
Above the dirt
Barely falling asleep
Waking up without a smile
And underneath-what fear there is here in the eyes
Just do not fall