Police again cracked down on the Chareidi neighborhood of Mea She’arim last night, arresting dozens as protesters conducted angry protests against police interference in neighborhood affairs.
Protests, mostly by Gerrer Chassidim and members and supporters of the hard-line Sikrikim group, have been going on for weeks, with residents burning tires and garbage bins, and throwing rocks and other objects at police. But over the past few days police responded in force – much to the surprise of many protesters.
Among the tactics used by police was the deployment of undercover police dressed in Chareidi clothing who circulated among the protesters. When some protesters began throwing rocks at police, these officers dressed as Chareidim quickly arrested them. Police have been using this tactic for several nights, and have managed to arrest dozens of protesters in this manner – a wave of arrests that has not taken place for many years, neighborhood veterans say.
The protests and violence are part of what has been essentially a long-running dispute over a prime parcel of Mea She’arim real estate, called Batei Varshaw, originally meant for use by poor Chareidi immigrant families from Poland, but now at the center of a struggle over affordable housing and real estate development involving longtime residents who claim they are being forced out, Gerrer Chasidim, and the Sikrikim – who claim the Gerrer Chasidim are seeking to take over and use the area for a mass real estate project.
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7 Responses
Please don’t put gerrer chassidim in the same category as sikrikin. Gerrers (may be in a dispute over a property but they) don’t burn garbage cans or throw stones at police.
This isn’t just Lashon Hora it’s also motzie shaim rah!
Kein Yirbu!
I hope the police put an end to the rampant lawlessness of meah shearim. Enough is enough with these holligans. Time to put the guiliani theory into practice: come down hard and eliminate the grafiti vandals and the window smashing and bring peace to the holy neighborhood.
rbc- till youve lived there and see whos involved, you have no ida what your talking about. the gerrers are big players here, please dont think youre entirely informed; go and watch for yourself.
These guys dare call themselves Chareidi? Did they ever learn a passuk Chumash? Reshoim hitting each other with sticks?! Let em all rot in jail as they have no place amongst society.
MONEY MONEY…who gets the property gets BILLIONS of shekels of money. BTW many of us years ago donated to the old Yishuv for them to buy these properties for poor talmidai chachamim to use. So it really belongs to all of us.
Arrest them and let the OLD WEST GUYS learn that violence is not the only answer.
Vigilante Action is Appropriate
It could be that the public is turning against thieves, thugs, filth, and blaring loudspeakers as well their lackeys and laughing hyenas. Hopefully the police will rise to the occasion. It may be useful to bring in a top cop from New York City to help clean things up. In the final analysis suppression of justice brings this.