Large crowds of Gur Hasidim are gathering outside Prison 10 near Tel Hashomer, the IDF's main military detention facility, following the arrest of a deserter from the Gur community, according to Israeli media. The protest is the latest in an ongoing anti-conscription campaign by ultra-Orthodox factions.
Hundreds of Gur Hasidim have massed outside Prison 10, the IDF's primary military detention facility near Tel Hashomer, after the arrest of a deserter from the community. By 17:48 on Tuesday the protest had already drawn large crowds, with organizers reporting "great urgency and extreme crowding," and the Gerer Rebbe was expected to address the crowd from a special podium. The demonstration follows a sequence of escalating protest activity by ultra-Orthodox groups opposed to military conscription.
As The Zioneer reported, the protest was first announced earlier on Tuesday, when the Gur Rebbe called on followers to gather outside Military Prison 10 at 16:00 Wednesday in response to Haredi draft-evader arrests. By 17:48 Tuesday, the sect had coordinated the rally with police and instructed followers to obey the law and avoid provocations; the Gerer Rebbe was subsequently confirmed to attend and speak from a podium. The protest gained further public visibility when Israel Hayom began covering it, and by the time it swelled to its current size, reports described extreme crowding. In a prior incident in June, hundreds of Haredim clashed with police in Ashdod during an attempt to block a deserter's arrest — a case where the fugitive later turned out not to be Haredi, as The Zioneer reported on Friday June 12.
The current protest is focused on a Gur-affiliated deserter. Police presence has been reinforced but no major confrontations have been reported yet. It remains unconfirmed whether the Gerer Rebbe has actually arrived at the site and addressed the crowd, as was expected; his participation in the earlier Tuesday protest was widely covered but has not been confirmed for this specific event.
16 developments
- StrongHundreds of Haredim block police in Ashdod to prevent arrest of draft deserter — who is not Haredi
- StrongHaredi protesters block Gilat Junction after extremist mobilization to prevent draftee arrest
- StrongExtremist Haredim protest outside Beit Lid military base against draft-evader arrests
- DevelopingHaredi protests spread to multiple cities after draft dodger arrests
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