Riot In Knesset Gallery After Beer Sales Halted

Lawmakers paused mid-rant and mid-rude-gesture to gape.

Jerusalem, April 1 – The management and security staff of Israel’s parliament building confronted an angry mob today upon announcing that alcohol sales in the visitors’ balcony would cease each evening at 1800 hours, not to resume until noon the following day, if the legislature is in session, eyewitnesses reported Monday.

The disturbances kicked off in earnest a few minutes before four in the afternoon, the various reports agree, apparently sparked by the chief of Knesset security’s identification of an impending alcohol-fueled brawl in the upper section of the gallery overlooking the plenum. He alerted his personnel, who sent a squad of guards to subdue the antagonists.

Three guards suffered minor injuries from the ensuing scuffle. That prompted management to decide on a halt to beer sales past 6 pm, out of fear of further such incidents if visitors continued to further their inebriation. But the announcement sparked an uproar that even overshadowed the drama down in the plenum, where the no-holds-barred action usually takes place. Lawmakers paused mid-rant and mid-rude-gesture to gape up at the gallery where now, in response to the announcement, the largest visitor donnybrook in Knesset history unfolded.

Initial figures put the number of injured at twenty, none serious, among them five members of the security team and ushers. Seven people were detained and will likely face charges, according to a police spokeswoman.

Inaccurate relaying of the announcement – which could only be passed by word of mouth, as the legislature was in session – led to some visitors believing that the alcohol sales ban took effect immediately. The misunderstanding led to flared tempers in one section of seating where a group had gathered to celebrate a birthday.

Others mistook the announcement for a ban on the sale of any refreshments, including hot dogs, peanuts, popcorn, cotton candy, and other fare typical for such a venue. The shouting escalated in a matter of minutes; more than thirty security team members, plus auxiliaries from among the ushers, rushed to quell the violence even as rival groups in the Knesset bleachers hurled accusations at one another for bringing about the fiasco.

The compound went on lockdown for nearly two hours before the all-clear. The Knesset plenum itself then resumed its everyday grandstanding, but without a direct human audience in attendance in the now-empty gallery. The chief of security acknowledged that he feels torn about the decision, because now he could use a beer, but the sellers have gone home.

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