Protest goes on: After a relatively calm week in the capital, ultra-Orthodox protests have resumed in Jerusalem Saturday afternoon.
About 500 haredim gathered on Shivtei Israel Street in order to protest the opening of the municipal Karta parking lot on Shabbat. Police forces deployed at the scene ahead of time in an effort to maintain order.
Police at disputed parking lot (Photo: Gil Yohanan)
Meanwhile, several haredim arrived at the disputed parking lot and attempted to block its entrance to protest the decision to open it on Shabbat.
Police forces dispatched to the scene removed the ultra-Orthodox from the site.
Elsewhere, two young haredim were detained on Bar-Ilan Street in the capital on suspicion of hurling stones at passing vehicles. No injuries were reported in the incident, but several vehicles were reportedly damaged.
Recent protests in Jerusalem focused on the arrest of an ultra-Orthodox mother suspected of starving her three-year-old son. The demonstrations abated after the mother was sent to house arrest last weekend.
The recent wave of haredi riots in Jerusalem started after city hall decided to open the Safra parking lot on Shabbat. The initiative led to violent riots by thousands of haredim in the capital and left six police officers injured.
Following the clashes, Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat offered a compromise: Opening the Karta parking lot instead of Safra, yet the proposal was rejected as well by the ultra-Orthodox, who continued to riot on the following Saturdays.
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