On June 18 1997, hundreds of junior faculty members from all over Israel demonstrated in front of the Knesset in protest of shameful employment conditions: 8 months of employment per year with no social guarantees. During the demonstration, faculty members posted signs and shouted the slogans: "twelve months pay", "with no salary there is no research" and "juniors are not slaves".

The following Members of Knesset spoke to the demonstrators: M.K. Prof. Shlomo Ben-Ami , Knesset Deputy Speaker M.K. Prof. Naomi Chazan , M.K. Anat Maor, Histadrut chairman M.K. Amir Peretz, and M.K. Abdulmalik Dehamshe. Mr. Benjamin Gonen, member of the Histadrut governing committee spoke as well.

The demonstrators urged the chairman of VATAT (The committee funding higher education in Israel), Prof. Lev-zion to stop ignoring the call of the Education Committee of the Knesset to start serious negotiations with the junior faculty union.

 

At the end of the demonstration in front of the Knesset, junior faculty members entered the Givat Ram campus of the Hebrew university, with the aim to continue with a silent demonstration.
While Knesset member Tamar Gozansky spoke to the faculty members, expressing her solidarity with them, dozens of policemen stormed the campus and attacked the people present , mercilessly beating everybody.

M.K. Gozansky was also hit by the policemen when she called them to leave campus.
A few of the faculty members were injured, and one was evacuated to hospital. Several demonstrators were arrested, but released at the end of the demonstration.

 

 

Sounds from the demonstration:

  M.K. Tamar Gozansky Beatten by policemen
  Junior faculty member injured