Haredim, police clash in Bnei Brak over arrested draft-dodger
19 detained in protest organized by extremist Jerusalem Faction
Police arrested 19 ultra-Orthodox protesters in Bnei Brak during a demonstration held by the radical Jerusalem Faction of the Lithuanian ultra-Orthodox sect protesting the arrest of a yeshiva student who failed to present himself at the IDF induction center.
A number or roads in the area were blocked and protesters clashed with police at the scene.
Police said they arrested demonstrators who disturbed public order and ignored police instructions, as well as one demonstrator who damaged a police vehicle.
“Police units in the area will continue to patrol the area and prevent illegal demonstrations,” the police spokesman said.
The protest was sparked by the arrest of yeshiva student Nissan Raada, who was put in military prison last week.
One yeshiva head instructed community members to “shake up the entire world” regarding every arrest of a haredi draft dodger.
Protesters held banners accusing the state of persecuting religious Jews.
The demonstration was the latest in a series of protests by the Jerusalem Faction and other extremist non-hasidic elements organized when a yeshiva student associated with one of the groups is arrested and transferred to the military police for refusing to present himself at an IDF induction center to obtain an exemption from military service.
The Committee for Saving the Torah World, the operations branch responsible for protests for the Jerusalem Faction, said, “The struggle will continue with full strength until the law is changed to exempt all yeshiva students from enlistment without condition or fulfillment of [enlistment] targets.”