Protest in Mea Shearim (archives)
Photo: AP
Haredim riot in Jerusalem over man's arrest
Residents of Mea Shearim neighborhood hurl stones at buses, set fire to dumpsters following court's decision to extend remand of haredi arrested over disturbances. No injuries reported; roads closed to traffic
Residents of Jerusalem's ultra-Orthodox Mea Shearim neighborhood on Thursday evening set fire to dumpsters and hurled stones on buses following a court decision to extend the remand of a haredi man arrested on suspicion of causing disturbances.
There were no reports of injuries, but the roads leading to the capital's Shabbat Square were closed to traffic. Police forces were dispatched to the area.
Last week, haredi men rioted in the same neighborhood in protest of the police's attempt to conduct an autopsy on a woman's body found in an abandoned building. Dozens of haredim assaulted the police, caused damage to a squad car, snatched the corpse and escaped.
Three hours later, with the help of the ZAKA rescue unit, the body was transferred to a policeman's house, where it was examined in order to ensure that the death was not caused by a criminal act.
The police reached an understanding with the Eda Haredit organization that the corpse would not undergo an autopsy.
