Some 5,000 people marched in the SlutWalk in Tel Aviv on Friday to protest sexual violence. Demonstrators carried signs featuring various slogans and the faces of those convicted and suspected of sexual harassment

The march started at Rabin Square, in the presence of police and Magen David Adom, and culminated in a rally on Rothschild Boulevard. This year’s event was organized by the association Kulan.

Protesters carried signs that read “The culture of rape begins in the corridors of the government,” and held signs with pictures of former Brig. Gen Ofek Buchris, who was charged last year with improper sexual relations with a female soldier, and actor Moshe Ivgy, who was charged last year with committing sex crimes against four women. Other signs read, “If I could not refuse, I could not want to,” “We are the granddaughters of the witches you could not burn,” and “No is no” in four different languages.

SlutWalk rallies began in Toronto in 2011 in response to a local policeman who said that in order to avoid rape, women should not “dress like sluts.”

This led to a widespread international movement against placing the blame on rape victims. Since then, there have been protests across the globe, including the United States, India and European countries. Over the past six years, rallies have been held in several Israeli cities, including Haifa, Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.

source: haaretz.com