Jerusalem riots
Photo: Noam Moskowitz
Jerusalem: Haredim riot, block main road
Hundreds employ arson to protest grave removal, arrest of man suspected of snatching body
Some 200 ultra-Orthodox demonstrators made their way to Sabbath Square in Jerusalem Monday, torching trash cans and blocking the main road into the city.
Police reported that they were also throwing stones at officers who deployed in the area in preparation for violent riots.
The haredim were protesting the removal of graves from a site designated for Barzilai Hospital's new emergency wing, as well as the arrest of a man suspected of snatching the body of a woman in order to prevent an autopsy.
Haredim riot in Jerusalem (Photo: Noam Moskowitz)
The protestors also torched the field behind a local yeshiva. Firefighters told Ynet the blaze was quickly put out, and that the haredim were leaving the area. "We will keep fighting to prevent destruction," one firefighter said.
On Sunday Jerusalem Municipality announced that it was halting its operations in several ultra-Orthodox neighborhoods in the city following violence directed at municipal workers.
The municipality stated that several employees were beaten during protests in the capital on Sunday, part of a long line of violent attacks against municipal workers and facilities by haredi protestors.
