Unrest in Safed: Secular residents clash with Haredi protesters blocking the road on Saturday
The Haredi protest began several weeks ago in Safed and spread to Meron. The protesters are trying to prevent public transport lines from leaving Safed before the end of the Sabbath. 70 activists from the "Derech Hofshit" organization are on site, clashing with about 150 Haredim. Police forces are present at the scene.
About 150 Haredi protesters are currently attempting today, Saturday, to prevent a public bus from passing at the Meron junction. The Haredi protest began several weeks ago in Safed and spread to Meron. The protesters are trying to prevent public transport lines from leaving Safed before the end of the Sabbath.
Opposite them is a group of about 70 Galilee residents, activists of the "Derech Hofshit" organization, who are preventing the protesters from blocking traffic. Police forces have arrived at the junction.
Last month, dozens of Haredim blocked traffic on the main road near the central bus station in Safed, disrupting the passage of vehicles and shouting "Shabbos" at drivers, while police forces operated at the scene in an attempt to disperse the demonstration.
The blocking of the central axis occurred just a few hours after an unprecedented, yet extremely sparse, attempt at a response from the general public in the city. During the morning of that day, about ten car owners showed up at the market square, driving through the city in a convoy of cars in protest against the frequent road blocks.
