Israeli expats protest planned judicial overhaul in New York

Several hundred protesters gather in New York City to decry Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government’s planned judicial overhaul.

The crowd in Washington Square park bears Israeli flags and signs that read, “Democracy now and for all,” “Israel democracy, not demockracy,” and “Fascism is not ok.”

Speakers address the crowd in Hebrew and English and lead chants of, “From the river to the sea, all people must be free.”

“We’re here because we’re afraid for democracy in Israel,” one speaker tells the crowd. “We need the Supreme Court to be independent.”

“There are a lot of Israelis and Jewish Americans here in New York who are standing in solidarity with the protests in Israel, who are worried about the situation in Israel, the legal reform that Netanyahu and his allies are trying to have,” says Omer Lubaton Granot.

“We’re worried about democracy and we’re trying to do our part.”