13 held as hundreds of Jerusalem ultra-Orthodox protest attack suspect’s arrest
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13 held as hundreds of Jerusalem ultra-Orthodox protest attack suspect’s arrest

Clashes sparked after police detain man suspected of assaulting officers 3 months ago; video shows pickup truck plowing into demonstrators

By TOI staff 23 July 2020, 3:59 am 0 Edit
Ultra-Orthodox protesters clash with police in Jerusalem over the arrest of a yeshiva student, July 22, 2020. (Screenshot/YouTube)
Ultra-Orthodox protesters clash with police in Jerusalem over the arrest of a yeshiva student, July 22, 2020. (Screenshot/YouTube)

Police arrested 13 ultra-Orthodox protesters following clashes overnight Wednesday-Thursday sparked by the arrest of a yeshiva student suspected of assaulting a police officer.

Hundreds participated in the demonstrations, which were unrelated to the coronavirus crisis, in the ultra-Orthodox neighborhood of Mea Shearim.

The student allegedly carried out the assault three months ago.

The protesters set alight dumpsters in city streets to disrupt traffic and rolled the blazing trash bins toward police.

During the protests, a driver in a white pickup truck who was blocked by the protesters plowed into them, pushing a dumpster with his vehicle into several of the demonstrators before fleeing the scene. The incident did not appear to cause any serious injuries.

Police said they were working to locate the driver.

The insular Mea Shearim neighborhood is home to several extremist ultra-Orthodox sects, many of whom are distrustful of Israeli authorities, and clashes with police there are not uncommon.

Earlier this month, fighting broke out in the neighborhood between residents and police who were attempting to enforce mask-wearing regulations.

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