Violent protests against the Sabbath opening of a Jerusalem city parking lot resumed over the weekend, fueled by rumors that a policeman had directed a car to run over a protester.
Over 1,000 Hassidic and other black-clad Jews protested in Jerusalem on Saturday against the Sabbath opening of a municipal parking lot. Protesters from other hareidi-religious groups joined in the protests as the Sabbath drew on, apparently fired up by rumors that a policeman had been involved in a car running over a protester.
The police arrested 14 protesters, and several police officers were injured in the course of the protests.
After a few quiet Sabbaths, the protesters – mainly of Toldos Aharon and related sects – resumed their demonstrations this past weekend. They are up in arms against the Sabbath opening of the large “Karta” municipal parking lot near the Old City. City officials say it is needed to help out-of-town visitors see Jerusalem without driving their cars into the Old City, while the protesters say it is a flagrant violation of the fragile religious-secular status quo in the Holy City.
The demonstrators were buttressed by additional hundreds of others who arrived after hearing that a Hassidic Jew had been “purposely” run over by a civilian car after he lay down on the street in protest. The victim, 20 years old, was taken to a hospital and is said to be listed in “moderate” condition.
The original version of the rumor was that a police car had purposely run over the youth, stirring up much anger amidst young hareidi youth in the city, who quickly rushed to the scene. The rumor soon took on a more “developed” nature, indicating that the driver was actually an Arab who was egged on by a police officer to drive over the victim.
Photos of the incident show a policeman near the site of the car, but not that he directed the car to run over anyone. The driver reportedly was trying to leave the scene before the trampling, and was in fact able to get away without being identified. The police say the car was a white Subaru Legacy.