By Jeff Abramowitz –
TEL AVIV, Israel — An Israeli demonstrator set himself on fire Saturday night during a socio-economic protest in Tel Aviv, police said.
Nearby protesters immediately poured water over the burning man, but he still suffered burns over most of his body and was taken to the hospital in serious condition.
According to witnesses quoted on Israel Radio, the man arrived at the demonstration carrying flammable liquid in a bottle, and before setting himself alight, had passed out suicide notes.
The incident occurred as thousands of Israelis took to the streets in several cities to mark one year since the start of socio-economic protests against the high cost of living in the country.
Discord among the protest leaders led to two marches taking place in Tel Aviv.
One left from a central city square and proceeded in the direction of nearby government offices.
The other, dubbed “the march of the million,” was set to take place along the sea-front boardwalk. Although tens of thousands had confirmed their participation in the boardwalk march, it began with only several hundred people present.
A police spokesman put the total number attending both Tel Aviv marches at 2,000. But participants, who were filing real-time updates via the Twitter social networking site, put their numbers far higher, with one claiming around 10,000 planning to march to the government offices.
Demonstrations also took place in Jerusalem, the northern port city of Haifa, and the southern desert city of Beersheba.
The discontent began in mid-July 2011, when activists pitched tents in Tel Aviv’s plush Rothschild Boulevard to protest the spiraling cost of housing. Tent encampments sprung up all over the country, and the protests widened to include dissatisfaction at the general high cost of living.
Support for the activists crosses political party lines and almost-weekly marches and rallies were held.
The protests peaked in September, when more than 400,000 people demanding social justice packed towns and cities across Israel.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has to balance his free-market ideology with the protesters’ demand, appointed a 22-member committee headed by respected economist Manuel Trajtenberg to look into socio-economic change.
The committee submitted 138 recommendations, 25 of which have so far been implemented, including: tax breaks; discounts on public transportation for students; and enforcement of labor laws.
