We live in a democracy and every person has the right to support whatever party or whatever candidate he or she prefers, for whatever reason. Even if I think the worst thing possible about any specific candidate, as long as he is running as a legal candidate or party, people can choose to support him/her/it. I might not agree with your reasons for who you choose to support, but I respect your right to support your preferred candidate.
And, I expect you to respect my right to support my preferred candidate, and to respect the next guys right to support his candidate, etc.
Why do I mention this?
A short while ago I saw someone rip down an election poster for a political party he does not support. This was a young yeshiva boy, looked to be about 15 or 16 years old, tearing down a poster of TOV.
I do not work for TOV. I have not yet decided if I will be voting for TOV. I have no formal connection to TOV (other than knowing somen of the people who run it). I am not a member of TOV. I am not a candidate for TOV. I have not even expressed support for TOV, though there are many things about TOV that I like. So, my connection to this vision before my eyes was not personal - I did not take it as a personal affront or damaging my party's property.
I called out to this young man to stop tearing up other peoples property.
He finished tearing it down and then responded to me that he is allowed to because Rav Shteinman said not to vote TOV and that they are against the gedolim.
I do not know if he actually said that or not, but I did not ask him for proof. I did ask him if he asked Rav Shteinman, or if Rav Shteinman said on his own, that one is allowed to destroy TOV property and signs or did he just say not to vote for them?
He said Rav Shteinman did not say anything about tearing up signs, but anyways they get money from the Iryah for this.
I said, I don't know if that is true or not, but so what? That fact, even if true, does not give you the right to destroy their property and their signs.
He then started arguing that because Rav Shteinman is against TOV, the TOV posters are actually an insult. He compared it to someone who has a crazy father, and someone goes and hangs up a sign across the street from your house against your father. Wouldn't you tear it up?
Sounds like a silly comparison to me, but I just asked if he asked a rav if he is allowed to destroy others signs and property. I said I am not from TOV, and these are not my signs, but he should be asking a rav before he takes the liberty to destroy property of other people.
What do you think? Is removing signs of competing political parties a legitimate action? Can I tear down signs of parties I do not support?
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