Tens of thousands of Israelis took to the streets on Saturday in the first mass social justice protest in Israel in the past two months, the Jerusalem Post reported.
Mass rallies were held in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, as well as other cities across the country, incluing Haifa, Kiryat Shmona, Hod Hasharon, and Modi'in.
Calls for a “welfare state” and greater spending on social programs were among the most common during the rallies, the newspaper said.
The protests were to some extent inspired by the U.S. “Occupy Wall Street” movement, including slogans saying “we are the 99%” and one sign that read “Occupy Oakland,” the report said.
In Jerusalem, the demonstrators carried placards that read "We won't be satisfied with crumbs" and "When the government is against the people, the people are against the government."
Two people were reported to have been arrested during the demonstration in Tel Aviv.
Large-scale social protests broke out across Israel last summer. At some point in early September, more than 400,000 people took to the streets to protest against spiraling costs of living in the country and demand social justice.
