Thousands of followers of the Gur Hasidic sect are dancing outside Prison 10 in what is described as a protest rally, according to Israel Hayom. The gathering is expected to disperse within the coming hours.
Thousands of Gur Hasidim are dancing outside Prison 10 at Beit Lid junction as of Wednesday evening, in a protest rally that caps more than 24 hours of escalating demonstrations. The gathering, reported by Israel Hayom, is expected to disperse within the coming hours. The protest follows the arrest of a young sect member classified as a draft deserter — the trigger for an unprecedented sequence of events.
The protest began on Tuesday afternoon, when The Zioneer reported at 17:48 Jerusalem that the Gur sect was organizing a mass rally outside the military prison at 16:00, coordinated with police. By Tuesday evening, the crowd swelled to an estimated 8,000, and loudspeakers urged participants to make room as the Gur Rebbe was expected. The Rebbe arrived on Tuesday and addressed the crowd, and by Tuesday's later reports, the protest was described as massive, with tens of thousands attending and the Rebbe remaining present. The demonstration has proceeded without reported disturbances, in line with police coordination noted from the outset.
The protest is the latest in an ongoing anti-conscription campaign by ultra-Orthodox factions, as The Zioneer reported on Tuesday. The arrest of the sect member, defined as a draft deserter, has galvanized the normally insular Gur community into rare public mass action.
No further details about the cause of the specific arrest or any arrests at the protest itself have been confirmed. The event is ongoing as of 18:21 Jerusalem time.
17 developments
- DevelopingCounter-protesters in soldier pants confront Gur Hasidim outside Prison 10
- StrongExtremist Haredim protest outside Beit Lid military base against draft-evader arrests
- DevelopingPolice release detainee from Haredi protest as crowd celebrates
- DevelopingMinister Goldknopf joins Gur Hasidic protest near Beit Lid, police block Route 57
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