About 2,000 social justice activists have rallied in Tel Aviv, expressing support to Moshe Silman, the man who set himself on fire during a demonstration on Saturday. Protests have also been staged in Jerusalem, Haifa and Beershaba.
Activists were chanting “Bibi and Steinitz go home.” (Bibi is a political nickname of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Yuval Steinitz is Israeli Finance Minister)
"Moshe isn't crazy, he's just like you and me," social activist Iliya Mershek told Ynet News. Most activists put the blame for Moshe Silman’s self-immolation on the Israeli government, which has failed to provide housing solutions, they say, thus forcing people like Silman to use the last-ditch arguments in search for truth.
Moshe Silman used to be a social justice activist in Haifa. A rally of some 100 people gathered there in Silman’s support on Sunday. The demonstrators held banners saying "This is not a personal tragedy, but an evil policy" and "The entire nation is Moshe Silman."
The movement against social injustice began in Israel over a year ago. Activists are rallying against the rising cost of living and housing and are calling for the reinstatement of the welfare state.
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