The Fight For (the meaning of) Democracy

• In Event: 30480 - Mobilization and Contemporary Democratic Elections: Coping with Violence & Extremism

Abstract

In 2022, a far-right government was elected in Israel, introducing legislation that threatened the country’s already flawed democracy. This included a judicial overhaul to weaken Israel’s Supreme Court. The public responded with mass mobilization: hundreds of thousands of people protested in the streets. This delayed and partly prevented the overhaul. This study examines the mass protests against the overhaul and the smaller countermovement that supported it, focusing on their framing tactics. It uses a mixed-methods approach, combining findings from participant observations at demonstrations, analysis of social media posts published by movement leaders, and quantitative poll results.
I find that the anti-overhaul movement used democracy framing to mobilize supporters, with anti-overhaul leaders highlighting dangers to democratic governance and utilizing the legitimating power of “democracy”. Though this framing whitewashed flaws in Israeli democracy, particularly the occupation of Palestinian territories, it resonated amongst citizens and aided in mobilizing the public. Thus, democracy framing may assist movements opposing democratic backsliding.
However, the pro-overhaul movement used democracy framing as well, claiming that the overhaul would bolster Israeli democracy. They promoted a populist understanding of democracy, advocating for majoritarian decision-making, and rejecting “elitist” institutions. In contrast, the anti-overhaul leadership promoted a liberal view of democracy. Therein lies the limitation of this tactic: Illiberal movements reappropriate liberal and democratic ideas to legitimize their policies, potentially making democracy framing more useful for illiberal actors than liberal ones.
Israeli democracy exists only within the internationally recognized borders of the state and is highly flawed even within them, making it an unusual case to study democracy. Nevertheless, the judicial overhaul is part of the worldwide trend of democratic backsliding and provides globally relevant insights. This study demonstrates the potential of democracy framing for mobilization against democratic backsliding and contributes to current debates regarding illiberal populists’ reappropriation of liberal-democratic ideas.

Author

• Avital Sicron, Hebrew University of Jerusalem