Organizers of grassroot protests bill them as a movement to save democracy. They say the government’s plans to weaken the Supreme Court would destroy the country’s system of checks and balances and compromise Israeli democracy. Proponents of the judicial overhaul say it is needed to rein in an overzealous Supreme Court.

TENS of thousands of Israelis gathered on Saturday for the continued weekly protests against their extremist government’s plans to overhaul the legal system. This week’s rallies come days after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition of ultra-Orthodox and ultranationalist parties passed a new two-year budget.

TEL AVIV, Israel >> Tens of thousands of Israelis gathered on Saturday for the relentless weekly protests against their government’s plans to overhaul the legal system.

The mass protests entered their 21st week. This week’s rallies come days after Netanyahu’s coalition of ultra-Orthodox and ultranationalist parties passed a new two-year budget . The main rally took place in Tel Aviv, drawing thousands of flag-waving protesters.