A group of Haredi drivers began a deliberate slow-roll protest on Highway 1 on Wednesday afternoon, disrupting traffic to demand an end to arrests of yeshiva students who do not enlist, journalist Daniel Amram reports. The organizers say the protest will continue for hours and expand to 19 central junctions nationwide.
A Haredi protest convoy began a slow-roll disruption on Highway 1 on Wednesday at approximately 16:52 Jerusalem, with organizers warning drivers that the action would continue for hours and expand to 19 additional central locations across the country. The protest is directed against the arrest of yeshiva students who refuse military conscription — a flashpoint in the ongoing draft-equality dispute.
The protest follows a series of Haredi demonstrations this month, including road blockades on Highway 6 and Highway 4, and a confrontation in Ashdod that drew hundreds of protesters (as The Zioneer has reported). Unlike earlier blockades that prompted violent clashes with drivers and police, Wednesday's action involves coordinated slow driving aimed at snaring traffic without the physical confrontations seen previously. Police have not yet issued a statement on the disruption. The full extent of the protest and whether it will indeed reach all 19 announced junctions remains to be seen.
5 developments
- DevelopingDrivers advised to stay home Wednesday afternoon amid slow-protest convoy
- DevelopingHaredi protest convoy organizers claim over 8,000 vehicles on Route 38
- DevelopingAnti-government protest slow-roll convoy reaches Haifa's Matam Junction
- StrongPolice: Haredi protest convoy deviating from agreed terms on Highway 4
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