About 150 haredi protesters attempted to block a public bus from passing through Meron Junction in northern Israel on Saturday, while a counter-group of roughly 70 Galilee residents affiliated with the Derech Hofshit movement gathered at the same location to prevent the demonstrators from blocking traffic, according to the Jerusalem Post.
Haredi protesters attempt to block bus at Meron Junction; Jerusalem cafe entrance glued shut
About 150 haredi protesters attempted to block a public bus from passing through Meron Junction in northern Israel on Saturday, while a counter-group of roughly 70 Galilee residents affiliated with the Derech Hofshit movement gathered at the same location to prevent the demonstrators from blocking traffic, according to the Jerusalem Post.
The weekly protest began several weeks ago in Safed and has since spread to Meron, with demonstrators seeking to prevent public buses from leaving the city before the end of Shabbat. Police forces arrived at the junction.
The previous month, dozens of haredi protesters blocked traffic on the main road near Safed's central bus station, disrupting vehicles and shouting 'Shabbos' at drivers, with police operating at the scene to disperse the demonstration.
Earlier on the same Saturday morning, about 10 vehicle owners gathered at the market square and drove through the city in a convoy to protest the frequent road blockages.
In a separate overnight incident in Jerusalem, a woman glued shut the entrance to Basimta Cafe, delaying its opening by 40 minutes, N12 News reported. Security camera footage released by N12 showed the woman, wearing a white dress and a face mask, applying glue to the cafe's door before leaving the scene. Basimta Cafe has been targeted weekly by haredi protesters due to its operations on Shabbat.
- The source does not state whether any arrests were made at Meron Junction or at the previous month's Safed protest.
- The source does not identify the woman seen on security camera footage at Basimta Cafe or state whether she was apprehended.
- The source does not state the total number of incidents in the weekly protest series since it began in Safed.
- The source does not include any statement from Israeli police regarding their response at Meron Junction on Saturday.
- The source does not include any response or statement from Basimta Cafe's owners.
Read the original at The Jerusalem Post