Hundreds of Thousands Protest in Tel Aviv Against Judicial Reform

At least 250,000 protesters rallied in Tel Aviv against the government’s judicial reform legislation currently making its way through the Knesset. Some media outlets put the number of those demonstrating at 500,000. It was the 10th week in a row for the Saturday night demonstrations.

The Saturday night demonstrations follow Thursday’s Day of Rage protests during which tens of thousands of Israelis blocked highways and protested outside of the homes of government officials. The protest organizer also announced a “day of escalating resistance” for this coming Thursday.

During the demonstration, hundreds of Israeli women’s rights activists dressed as characters in “The Handmaid’s Tale” marched in the main protest in Tel Aviv.

Tens of thousands of protesters also attended rallies in dozens of other cities throughout Israel, including in Jerusalem, Haifa, Ashdod, Efrat, Modiin, Netanya, Kfar Saba, Yavne, Herzliya, Beit Shemesh, Rishon Lezion, and Bat Yam.

In a statement released on Saturday ahead of the protests, organizers said that if a freeze on the judicial reform legislation is not announced, “protests will intensify in the coming days.”