Thousands of Israelis observed a strike on Sunday to denounce sexual violence against women after the alleged rape of a teenage girl by 30 men, a case that shakes the country, according to the organizers.
A midday strike lasted about an hour “to protest the growing violence against women and girls in Israel and the lack of sufficient punishment,” the women’s collective Bonot Alternativa said.
One of the event’s organizers, Ariel Peleg, told AFP that at least 30 organizations and businesses, including municipalities and Microsoft Israel, participated in the strike.
In the evening, protests took place across the country, with thousands of participants in Tel Aviv, many wearing red clothes, an AFP reporter said.
The strike and the demonstrations were organized to denounce the alleged rape of a 16-year-old teenage girl by around 30 men in a hotel in the seaside town of Eilat (south), a case that provoked reactions to the top of State.
“It’s shocking, there is no other word! It is not only a crime against a young girl, it is a crime against humanity itself which deserves all our condemnation ”, reacted the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, who called for that“ the responsible are brought to justice ”.
The story had passed under the radar until the local press reported on Thursday that the men lined up in front of the hotel room of the young girl, intoxicated, waiting their turn to rape her.
The same evening, spontaneous demonstrations took place in various cities such as Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and Hadera (north), in support of the young girl.
Police said on Sunday that 11 suspects, including nine minors and a woman who is said to be the manager of the hotel in which the alleged rape took place had been arrested in connection with the case.