Israeli police officials said Sunday they plan to file charges against 20 ringleaders of a violent riot Saturday night in downtown Tel Aviv, which supporters charge erupted due to police brutality.

Widely varying estimates say between three to 6,000 social- welfare protestors clashed with officers, smashed windows of bank branches, blocked streets and major highways, and overturned trash dumpsters in Israel's commercial and banking center.

The violence came after the detention on Friday of Daphni Leef and 11 others protest leaders, as they tried to reignite last summer's national tent city protests, which began on a tree-lined esplanade along the city's trendy Rothschild Blvd. The detainees were released a short time later, after posting bond.

Police on Saturday detained over 89 protestors and commandeered a city bus to ferry them to substations.

"Rioters crossed every possible red line," officials charged, calling the demonstrations illegal, unlicensed and only aimed at garnering media attention rather than affecting government socioeconomic policies.

Social protest leader Stav Shafrir said Sunday morning that "We are opposed to all expression of violence and destruction of property," but added that "the government and its leader are trying to delegitimize the largest social protest in the country's history," according to a statement released by the organizers.

However, according to a senior police officer, "two of the rallies did not have permits, but we had every intention of allowing them -- we even made sure traffic was undisturbed during the early stages of the rally in Ibn Gvirol (Street)" near City Hall.

"The problems began when the rioters strayed into the street, started stoning the forces, egging them and then vandalized the banks," Yarkon Subdistrict Police Commander Yoram Ohayon told a newspaper.

"We have to enforce the law," Ohayon said, adding that while " protests are legitimate and we will allow them as long as they are held within the law. If we didn't initiate arrests we would have seen looting as well."

Police officials told the Ynet news site that rioters had planned to burn tires at several locations, and a hidden cache was discovered near the main protest site.

Left-wing Meretz party Chairman Zahava Gal-On, however, slammed the police reaction, calling it "political repression" and " indicative of the behavior of a police state, and not a democratic country," according to Israel Radio.

Protest leader Yehonatan Levy told Army radio on Sunday that " The feeling is that the order was handed down from the senior political echelon not to allow a repeat of last summer's protests, and to limit the demonstrations in any manner possible."

As in last summer's protests, activists at the demonstration held signs decrying the high cost of living.

"Do not touch my body, it's my right to make my voice heard," and "Dear policeman, please do not interrupt the citizen in the line of duty," some of the placards read, according to the Haaretz daily.