Israeli justice minister Ayelet Shaked slammed for ‘Fascism perfume’ ad as social media war heats up ahead of election
- In black and white video, Shaked spritzes herself with scent while whispering her key policies in Hebrew
- Move appears to make light of criticism of her attempts to restructure Israeli judiciary
A new ad with an elegantly dressed minister using “fascist” perfume drew online outrage on Tuesday, the latest in a social media war ahead of an Israeli election that has also featured a flatulent hippo.
Israeli law prevents political ads from being broadcast on television until two weeks before the April 9 election, so parties have flooded social media with clips instead.
The elections are expected to be close and social media is playing a part in the campaign as never before.
In the far-right justice minister’s video, she poses in a mock advertisement for a perfume called “Fascism”.
The move appears to make light of criticism – including accusations of fascism – of Ayelet Shaked’s attempts to restructure the Israeli judiciary, which is seen as a barrier to her hard-right agenda.
In the black and white video, Shaked saunters around in slow motion, her hair blowing as soft piano music plays in the background. Spritzing herself with a perfume labelled “Fascism”, she whispers her key policies in Hebrew: “Judicial reform … Restraining the Supreme Court.”
To me, it smells like democracy
Then, speaking to camera, she seems to suggest the bottle has been mislabelled: “To me, it smells like democracy.”
