Protest leader says Tel Aviv rallies split into two to ‘reduce congestion’

In anticipation of parallel protests scheduled in Tel Aviv tonight against what protesters call anti-democratic moves by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s new government, the leader of one of the protest organizers says that the events broke into two in order to “reduce congestion.”

Eliad Shraga, who leads the good governance organization Movement for Quality Government, tells The Times of Israel that “there is crazy pressure, we have to reduce congestion,” as an explanation for creating a second protest in Tel Aviv’s HaBima Square, in addition to a multi-group-led protest on the city’s Kaplan Street.

Last week, an estimated 80,000 protesters took to Tel Aviv’s streets to express their disapproval of Netanyahu’s government’s direction, and in particular, a blistering package of judicial reforms meant to increase political power over the judiciary.

Tens of thousands of protesters are expected to descend upon Tel Aviv’s streets this evening.