On Saturday Israelis organized the first demonstration of what was meant
to be a resurrection of last summer’s protests against the high cost of
living. Last July protest tents were set up in dozens of cities throughout
the country and mass demonstrations reached half a
million people in Tel Aviv. The Real News’ Lia Tarachansky
covered the movement from July 14 when it officially
started (and became known as J14) to the end
of the Fall, when protests stopped.
This Saturday, roughly ten thousand people came out to Rabin Square in
downtown Tel Aviv. A crew of police media staff circled the demonstrators,
filming activists who held megaphones or looked like leaders. One officer
instructed the police to arrest a man who called officers “fascistsâ€.
Tarachansky spoke to protesters on the street, including renown director
and playwright Udi Aloni and interviewed the Spokesperson of the Israeli
Police, Micky Rosenfeld, lawyer Emily Schaeffer, and Member of Knesset
Dov Khenin of the HADASH party.
Credit: Emily Schaeffer Photo by Yanai Yehiel