Anti-Government Protesters Expect Another Big Turnout Motzaei Shabbos

By Yisrael Price

YERUSHALAYIM — Organizers of an upcoming anti-government protest said on Thursday they are hoping for an even bigger turnout than last Motzei Shabbos, according to The Times of Israel.

The organizations behind the event – including the Movement for Quality Government, Crime Minister and Black Flag – issued the now-familiar dire warnings about what will happen if the government plan to reform the judiciary is not stopped.

“Faced with the threat of the collapse of Israeli democracy, we must be determined and show the government that we will not sit quietly,” said MQG in a statement.

The Black Flag protest group: “Following the attack on the judicial system over [Rabbi] Deri’s disqualification, and the calls from within the coalition to disobey the ruling, the organizers of the demonstration are calling on the heads of the opposition parties to announce that they will come to the mass demonstration and stand at the head of the protest march.”

Opposition leader Yair Lapid promised to attend, after he was absent for last week’s demonstration because, he said, the organizers didn’t want to overly politicize it. That did not, however, stop other politicians, such as Benny Gantz, Merav Michaeli and Mansour Abbas, from going.

This week’s protests are scheduled to take place in Yerushalayim, Haifa, Beersheva and Modiin, as well as two separate locations in Tel Aviv.

Meanwhile, the Tel Aviv municipality refused to grant a permit for a counter-demonstration to a right-wing, according to JDN.

One of the activists was quoted as saying: “They are trying to shut us up, only the leftists are allowed to demonstrate. Isn’t our voice equal?”

They requested authorization to demonstrate outside the Tel Aviv Museum, but were told that all demonstration locations have already been claimed by left-wing activists, the report said.