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MK Stav Shaffir shows her support for reemergence of social protest.

Shaffir supports reigniting 'tent protest'

MK Stav Shaffir (Zionist Union), one of the leaders of the massive social protest in 2011, tells Ynet social protest that happened three and a half years ago never really ended.

MK Stav Shaffir of the Zionist Union, who was one of the leaders of the massive social protest in 2011, spoke at the Ynet studio on Monday and expressed her support of the reemergence of the social protest in Tel Aviv. She also explained why she would not be seen alongside the protestors who have set up camp on Rothschild Boulevard in Tel Aviv anytime soon.

 

 

Three years and a half after the social protest that swept the streets of Tel Aviv in 2011, the tents that characterized the massive protest have returned to the heart of Tel Aviv to once again vocalize the Israeli public's frustration with the rising cost of living.

 

Social protest on Rothschild Boulevard. (Photo: Motti Kimchi)
Social protest on Rothschild Boulevard. (Photo: Motti Kimchi)

 

Despite the protest in 2011, the government was unable to find a cure for the housing crisis, with the state comptroller's housing report published last week pointing to the many failures that led to the rise in housing costs.

 

"The protest that occurred three and a half years ago never really ended," said Shaffir. "We continued to feel its presence through out this entire period. The report published by the state comptroller last week describes a line of failures in the government's policies, in crooked attempts to solve the housing crisis without success, with out any real intention behind it. The report sparks public outrage and one can understand and of course back up these (protestors)."

 

When asked if she would join the protestors and stand by their side Shaffir responded: "When public officials arrive at the boulevard it grabs a lot of attention.

 

"I think that right now, the attention needs to be given to those people who chose to undertake this protest which has no ties to a certain party. I will come visit them during quieter times," said Shaffir.

 

When asked if she thinks that the 2011 protest that she and her friends led failed, Shapir said: "If there was something missing during our protests – it was political force."

 

The leader of what became to be known the "Milky Protest," Naor Narkis, was one of the many protestors who set up camp at Tel Aviv's most famous boulevard.

 

Narkis described his first night sleeping in the street: "It was cold, but many people passed by and warmed my heart because we all basically feel the same way – we work very hard, a lot of us here have good salaries, make more than the average and we have no chance of buying an apartment."

 

Narkis added: "Every politician who received power from the public must understand that the citizen is a holy thing, you cannot just sit there and not do things for the benefit of the citizens and there are a lot of politicians who have served as ministers for years and ignore and brush off and don't care about the public.

 

"Since 2011, the prices have just kept going up. The problems were not solved, they just got worse," said Narkis.

 


פרסום ראשון: 03.02.15, 21:54
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