Tens of thousands of people congregated near Independence Hall on Tel Aviv’s Rothschild Boulevard for a protest demonstration against Israeli governmental corruption exactly one week after last Saturday’s mass demonstration in the city.
According to a Saturday report by Ynet News protesters cried out “We will not give in until you give out” “Bibi Netanyahu to Maasiyahu Prison” “Bibi versus the State” and “Shame shame shame.”
The protest’s organizers carrying signs saying “Corrupt go home” protested Coalition Chairman David Bitan who was questioned by police this week and railed against what they dubbed as “the lag in Prime Minister Netanyahu’s investigations.”
After the protesters arrived at the HaBima Square the police shut down the generator protest organizers planned to use claiming it did not meet safety requirements. In protest of the generator being shut down several hundreds of demonstrators made their way down Kaplan Street.
The protest is organized by Eldad Yaniv and Meni Naftali renowned for organizing weekly Petah Tikva demonstrations opposite the home of Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit. The pair utilized social media and the Whatsapp instant messaging app to invite participants to attend.
“Yesterday what we said would happen happened. When the corrupt get spooked by tens of thousands of people on the streets they do what they do best. What do they do in the face of hope? They retaliate with violence to inflame the area” Yaniv said.
Yaniv then went on to posit that the prime minister—through the country’s police forces—engineered riots all across the country to keep people away from the protest. “It’s their way of getting us to give up. What scares the corrupt more than last Saturday night? This Saturday night” Yaniv declared.
“We want a new contract with politicians without those colluding with tycoons. We want new leaders and a new contract. Politicians who work for us not corrupt ones. Politicians who can see justice served” Yaniv added.
Simultaneous to the Tel Aviv demonstration protests were staged elsewhere in Israel in such places as Nahariya Hadera Afula Netanya Rishon LeZion Modi’in Jerusalem and Be’er Sheva.
Last week’s “March of Shame” against government corruption and what demonstrators said was foot-dragging in the investigations against Netanyahu made its way from Independence Hall on Rothschild Boulevard to Habima Square and was organized by Yaniv and Naftali.
Since January 2017 Netanyahu has been investigated six times over corruption charges in the so-called Case 1000 and Case 2000.
