Hundreds of protesters gathered in Tel Aviv on Sunday night in a show of solidarity with the man who self immolated the day before, saying demonstrations had reached a boiling point. Other protests took place in Jerusalem, Haifa and Beersheba.
A couple hundred protesters gathered outside government offices in Tel Aviv on Sunday night in a show of solidarity with the demonstrator who set himself on fire the day before, saying they expected a confrontation.
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"It's going to be a rage demonstration," said Yael Ben Yefet, an organizer and director at the Democratic Mizrahi Rainbow. "I think people are on the verge of crying, me also, or want to strike someone or something." She added that if violence erupted, it would not be initiated by protesters, but would be a form of "counter-violence."
"There is violence: by the government. They are the violent ones. And maybe today something will strike back," she said. Demonstrators read aloud the suicide note left behind by Moshe Silman, who accused the government Finance Minister Yuval Steinitz and Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu of being directly responsible for his financial predicament. Silman, 46 years old, had complained that he received no rent assistance despite suffering a stroke recently and no longer being able to work.
Participants at the event included former Hadash lawmaker Dov Hanin, social protest leader Stav Shafir and other activists affiliated with the movement that began a year and a day ago on Rothschild Boulevard.
In Jerusalem, police arrested at least three demonstrators after they tried to block roads at Paris Square. About 80 demonstrators marched from Independence Park to the prime minister's residence chanting: "We are all Moshe Silman!"
The protest started peacefully but once the demonstrators attempted to block the road, clashes broke out between the demonstrators and police, though there were no injuries.
In Haifa, dozens of protesters demonstrated outside government offices and expressed solidarity with Silman. Some of the protesters said they identified with Silman, and that they too had been pushed to the edge by government bureaucracy relating to public housing, Army Radio reported.
Melanie Lidman and Jpost.com staff contributed to this report
A couple hundred protesters gathered outside government offices in Tel Aviv on Sunday night in a show of solidarity with the demonstrator who set himself on fire the day before, saying they expected a confrontation.
Related:
"It's going to be a rage demonstration," said Yael Ben Yefet, an organizer and director at the Democratic Mizrahi Rainbow. "I think people are on the verge of crying, me also, or want to strike someone or something." She added that if violence erupted, it would not be initiated by protesters, but would be a form of "counter-violence."
"There is violence: by the government. They are the violent ones. And maybe today something will strike back," she said. Demonstrators read aloud the suicide note left behind by Moshe Silman, who accused the government Finance Minister Yuval Steinitz and Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu of being directly responsible for his financial predicament. Silman, 46 years old, had complained that he received no rent assistance despite suffering a stroke recently and no longer being able to work.
Participants at the event included former Hadash lawmaker Dov Hanin, social protest leader Stav Shafir and other activists affiliated with the movement that began a year and a day ago on Rothschild Boulevard.
In Jerusalem, police arrested at least three demonstrators after they tried to block roads at Paris Square. About 80 demonstrators marched from Independence Park to the prime minister's residence chanting: "We are all Moshe Silman!"
The protest started peacefully but once the demonstrators attempted to block the road, clashes broke out between the demonstrators and police, though there were no injuries.
In Haifa, dozens of protesters demonstrated outside government offices and expressed solidarity with Silman. Some of the protesters said they identified with Silman, and that they too had been pushed to the edge by government bureaucracy relating to public housing, Army Radio reported.
Melanie Lidman and Jpost.com staff contributed to this report