The leaders of a social protest movement that has rocked Israel for a month called on demonstrators to "get out of Tel Aviv and Jerusalem" to bolster demonstrations yesterday in a dozen other cities.
"We are expecting tens of thousands in Beersheva in the south where the main gathering will be held," protest leader Uri Metuki told AFP.
The goal, he said, is to expand the geographic and demographic scope of the movement, as so far the middle class has been the driving force behind social justice rallies.
"In these periphery cities people's lives are even more difficult than in the centre, near Tel Aviv. It is essential to express the solidarity of the whole movement with the populations of these communities," she added.
Israel has been gripped since mid-July by a rapidly growing protest movement demanding cheaper housing, education and health care.
Last Saturday, more than 300,000 people demonstrated in Tel Aviv and other cities calling for "social justice" and a "welfare state."
Source : The Daily Star
