'Holy sh*t!'
Photo: Eitam Tubul
'Liars. Their war. Our city.'
Photo: Eitam Tubul
Youth activists: Holyland? 'Holy sh*t!'
Organization for promoting capital's youth launches campaign accompanied by humoristic banners, calling to use Holyland project's land not yet built on for good of general public
They have taken the Holyland corruption case to heart. As business moguls and senior municipal officials are playing musical chairs between their detention cells and police investigation rooms, the young people of Jerusalem have refused to remain apathetic to the massive residential complex, called by many "a monument to corruption."
A new internet protest campaign launched by Hitorerut (Wake Up Jerusalem), a movement for the advancement of young people in Jerusalem, is calling for the land set aside for parts of the Holyland residential complex not yet built to be designated for the use by the general public.
"Young people in Jerusalem suffer from a serious housing shortage and a lack of small, inexpensive apartments," said Merav Cohen, one of the protest's leaders, to Ynet.
'Jerusalem. They put one this big over on you. Returning the land to the city' (Design: Eitam Tubul)
"Not only are projects like Holyland corrupt, they are intended for people who don't even live in the city and make it difficult for us to continue living in the Jerusalem and making a home here. Instead of a private housing complex, we demand that the remaining sections of the project be turned into public spaces for the good of the city's residents, into municipal facilities, or into affordable housing for the young population in Jerusalem," she said.
The protest campaign includes a number of online posters designed by Hitorerut members. One of the posters depicts the Holyland project as a middle finger directed at the city of Jerusalem, and another likens the project to piles of feces.
The posters will be published starting Monday on Facebook and will also be distributed via group emails. "The fliers are designed in a humoristic manner because they attempt to breathe a bit of hope and a sense of humor into the situation, instead of pain and sadness," explained Cohen.
The protest organizers are calling upon the young population to place public pressure on Jerusalem planning officials and on the cabinet to advance their goals. According to them, the campaign is just an initial move towards a potential intensification in the coming weeks.
