Pirate Party drops anchor

New liberal party presents Central Elections Committee with Knesset list in full pirate gear

Roi Mendal|Published: 12.05.12 , 20:58

Israel's Pirate Party delegates arrived at the Central Elections Committee office on Wednesday, to present it with their Knesset roster.

The 2013 elections would be the first race in which the party, modeled after Sweden's "Piratpartiet," will seek House seats.

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Stockholm's Pirate Party served as inspiration to many political movements worldwide and similar parties are now prevalent in 33 countries.

The party's top five delegates caused a stir when they arrived at the CEC office in full pirate gear – hats and hooks included.

Committee Chairman Justice Elyakim Rubinstein, however, was not amused, and asked them to remove their costumes.

Party Chairman Ohad Shem-Tov, criticized Rubinstein for being "a conformist."

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The list also includes director Gad Biron and artists Rafael (Rafram) Hadad.

"The idea of the Pirates may sound a weird but it's solid and democratic. It moves for a better society and promote individual freedoms," Shem-Tov said.

He added that the delegated were not oblivious to the ridiculing comments made by Central Elections Committee member MK David Rotem (Yisrael Beiteinu).

"We stood there, trying to file the list and he was trying to get a rise out of us by making derogatory comments. He definitely saw us as being 'different' and 'problematic.'

"The truth is that we're the only normal ones in politics."