Over 80,000 estimated at rally as protesters take aim at judges

The crowd at the pro-judicial reform tilts noticeably toward young religious Israelis, with a significant percentage below the voting age.

Channel 12 news estimates the crowd at 80,000, citing the Israeli firm Scitex, with many more still arriving.

Signs calling for judicial reform and promoting the state’s Jewish character are interspersed among a sea of Israeli flags waving as the sun sets.

Several props take aim at Supreme Court justices. In one area, a picture of Court President Esther Hayut is seen being trampled on in a tweet that goes viral, but later the same picture is revealed to be part of a poster showing her and other judges being held aloft by a group of protesters in prison uniforms.

השלט שפורסם ש"דורכים עליו", נישא אל על.
מה יהיה? pic.twitter.com/j5xTUKPA0d

— שירית אביטן כהן Shirit Avitan Cohen (@Shiritc) April 27, 2023

Many aspects of the rally have religious overtones given the makeup of the crowd.

Protesters begin chanting “we want judicial reform!” as attendees bang on drums and blow into horns and then switch to “Hear O Israel, God is our God, God is one.”