6 activists hurt protesting Yom Kippur chicken twirling ritual

Animal rights activists protesting the pre-Yom Kippur Jewish custom of swinging around a chicken were assaulted in the Israeli city of Hadera.

Six of the activists, one man and five women, were lightly wounded in the incident Thursday night, in which residents in Hadera began throwing stones and other objects at the protesters who came to demonstrate against the residents’ partaking in the custom of Kapparot, the pre-Yom Kippur folk custom of swinging a chicken around one’s head as a way of purging sin, which many believe is cruel.

Some of the attackers targeted the protesters from balconies of residential homes, the Israel Broadcasting Corporation reported Friday. A video of the incident shows that a fire extinguisher was also hurled at the protesters.

Police stood by and failed to interfere during the demonstration, which according to the report was conducting legally with permission.