Hundreds of haredi (ultra-Orthodox) demonstrators protested outside Military Prison 10 in Beit Lid on Monday over the arrest of a draft dodger, N12 News reported.
According to N12, the protesters belong to the Gur Hassidic sect, as well as the arrested draft dodger, with the Gur Rebbe in attendance at the demonstration.
200 buses from across the country are expected to arrive in the area with thousands of additional demonstrators, the report cited the Gur community as saying.
Footage of the protests published by N12 showed several rioters attempting to tear down a fence outside the prison, despite calls from the Gur community for demonstrators to avoid violence.
Police initially attempted to prevent the demonstrators from approaching the fence, but eventually relented and opened the gate.
United Torah Judaism chairman MK Yitzhak Goldknopf also attended the demonstration and addressed protesters with a microphone.
The arrested hassidic man had earlier arrived at a draft office to arrange an exemption from service before being sentenced to 20 days in prison, according to the report.
Military Prison 10 has been the site of several recent haredi protests against the arrest of draft dodgers, with the most recent demonstration taking place on July 9.
At the time, haredi protesters clashed with IDF soldiers outside the prison, with the military describing the protesters’ conduct as “violent.”
In addition, the protesters entered a restricted military area before being forcibly removed, according to the IDF.
The July 9 protest followed a similar demonstration on June 22, when demonstrators swarmed the prison’s entrance, with IDF soldiers attempting to maintain order as protesters shouted and attempted to push aside metal barricades, the military noted.
Source:
www.jpost.com
