Religious Zionism MK Simcha Rothman, one of the architects of the government’s judicial reform plan, spoke on Sunday at a Book Week event in Tel Aviv, hours after Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu announced that he is advancing the reform as early as this week.

He arrived at the event surrounded by security guards while leftist protesters engaged in their customary chant of “bushah, bushah.”

Later, the protesters became violent and clashed with the police, who dispersed them by force.

Rothman stated after the event: “I was happy to come to the opening of Book Week and meet a large audience of readers who want to develop independent thinking and a wealth of ideas. It’s funny that those who shout ‘democracy’ feel threatened and try to prevent people from reading books. There’s nothing like books to encourage pluralism and open-mindedness, and maybe that’s exactly what they’re afraid of.”

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)