Hundreds of haredim associated with extreme congregations in haredi society staged violent protests this morning over a Supreme Court verdict on the autopsy of a 13-year-old boy found dead in his home.
Yesterday, a magistrate allowed the autopsy, in light of a request by police due to suspicious evidence was found on the body. The family appealed, and today the Supreme Court will hear the appeal.
Since this morning, protesters have blocked Yechezkel Street in Jerusalem. The protest has included throwing eggs, bottles, and sacks of trash at police station in the area. A second protest has been staged in Beit Shemesh.
Some of the protesters in Jerusalem cursed and insulted the police, calling them Nazis and telling them to go to Gaza. Police forces are working to restore order in the area, including removing the protesters by force and preventing further violent incidents from breaking out.
Yechezkel Street remains blocked from Hashabbat Square to Shmuel Hanavi Junction by police order, as part of the efforts to restore order in the area.
Yesterday, throughout the day, hundreds joined violent protests at several points throughout the country, and some protesters even attempted to break into the forensic medicine institute in Abu Kabir to seize the body of the deceased teen.
Rabbi Shraga Brand, a prominent figure in the Edah HaChareidis sect, explained the issue to Kol Barama. “We are protesting against the court. We cannot permit an autopsy, the teen did not feel well in the police know that, and the court is ignoring the rights of the deceased.”
He furthermore criticized the police's conduct. “The police trampled protesters with horses yesterday. They did not do so on Kaplan Street, but when they see haredim they do so frequently. If the Supreme Court allows the autopsy, we will set the entire state on fire.”