Thousands took part tonight in a stormy demonstration, the first of its kind in the current government era, against the cost of living. The story began two weeks ago. Media man Guy Lerer, presenter of the Channel 13 pipeline program, published a post “that raised the hope that maybe we are starting to come out of indifference,” in Lerer’s words. The post tried to test whether people would also take out the wallet.
The venture, which followed the “pasta protest” that preceded it and caused a dramatic halt in price increases, sought to introduce the general public to alternative products for the large and old food companies – which are sold at half price and even less. The selected basic products were carefully selected and packaged in a package known as the “check box”.
Two weeks later, Weller revealed today on social media that 25,000 protest packages had been sold to citizens from all over the country.
In posts published by Lerer in recent days, he explained that one of the most prominent inspirations for the move, he actually received from the ultra-Orthodox public who know how to unite in front of huge companies in economic moves. The person behind the precedent-setting package is “Kollel Chabad”, a long-standing charitable institution of Chabad Chassidut established hundreds of years ago by the founder of Chabad Chassidut as the Old Rebbe. In the organization’s warehouses, volunteers worked and packed around the clock Check packages.
Earlier this week, Lerer asked to take the protest one step further. After the “pasta protest” he led and the “protest package” that gained dramatic momentum, he organized a huge demonstration tonight at the Habima plaza in Tel Aviv. “Did people also leave the house to say enough?” Lerer asked in a preliminary post he published.
The result: Tonight, thousands flocked to Habima to protest against the cost of living. “Why should we continue to be suckers,” the crowds shouted. This is the first demonstration in the current struggle for the cost of living and it is estimated that thousands of people from all over the country participated.
Lerer revealed that he had prevented speeches by politicians, pardoned the masses who came to protest and hinted that this was an ongoing protest move against the cost of living. Lerer also did not forget to pardon the ultra-Orthodox volunteers who worked hard. “Our biggest partners are Chabad, Eshel Chabad, people who helped us with the packages, people who beat the cost of living every day, people we came to and told them we wanted to buy like ultra-Orthodox, we want ultra-Orthodox prices, so thanks to Mandy Blewi From Chabad.
Will the precedent protest lead to stormy demonstrations that will shake the coalition? According to estimates the answer is definitely yes. “If the government does not recover – it will collapse,” said one of the protesters.