Haredim block Jerusalem road; 3 arrested
Ultra-Orthodox residents of Jerusalem's Meah Shearim neighborhood attempt to block main road, shout out 'Shabbas'; counter protest calls for 'sane Israeli residents to join struggle'
Some 100 haredim attempted to block a busy intersection near Jerusalem's ultra religious Meah Shearim neighborhood on Saturday, while shouting out "Shabbas" in protest against Saturday car traffic in the area, which they claim violates the Sabbath.
Police forces that arrived at the scene shortly thereafter arrested three of the haredi protesters.
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Over the past few weeks, similar protests have taken place in the area. Some 20 residents of the nearby Musrara neighborhood in Jerusalem and Israel Hofshit (Free Israel) activists marched to the intersection and held a counter protest. They claimed to have arrived at the area in order to make sure that traffic would not be disturbed.
Sarit Hashkes, a member of the group's Jerusalem branch said that "this problematic phenomenon takes place every Saturday during the summer. A small group of extremist haredim attempts to disturb the secular residents of the area."
"We call on the sane residents of Israel to join us in our struggle," Hashkes said.
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