Hundreds of ultra-Orthodox Jews protesting coronavirus lockdown restrictions clashed with police officers in Jerusalem on Tuesday night.
Rioters from the insulated community were pictured burning rubbish bins and reportedly threw stones at officers who responded by using water cannons and other heavy-handed tactics to disperse the crowd.
In recent weeks, ultra-Orthodox Jews have defied coronavirus restrictions by holding big funerals for beloved rabbis who died of COVID-19, celebrating large weddings and continuing to send their children to schools. The gatherings have led to clashes with police and an unprecedented wave of public anger toward the religious community, that makes up about 12 percent of Israel's 9.3 million people.
Gilad Malach, a researcher at the Israel Democracy Institute, says ultra-Orthodox believers accounted for over a third of the country's COVID-19 cases in 2020. Among Israelis over 65, the ultra-Orthodox mortality rate was three times that of the general population, he added.
Hundreds of ultra-Orthodox men gathered in Jerusalem's Shabbat Square to protest lockdown rules that are in place to curb Israel's high rate of coronavirus restrictions, in particular restrictions keeping schools closed.
An initial protest was organised with police approval, and saw speeches from leaders from the community with hundreds of people attending, tightly packed together with almost none wearing masks.
After the initial demonstration, hundreds of the protesters marched to the nearby Bar Ilan street, which became the scene of violent clashes between the group and police officers.
According to The Times of Israel, some demonstrators blocked traffic, burned rubbish bins, damaged vehicles and threw heavy stones and other objects at police officers.
Responding to the aggression, police deployed water cannons to disperse the protest, and at least one person was reported to have been arrested on suspicion of disturbing public order.
Critics of the police have recently called for water cannons to be used to disperse illegal gatherings of ultra-Orthodox Jews, with some - including opposition leader Yair Lapid - pointing to the police's use of aggressive tactics against anti-Netanyahu protesters, but not against ultra-Orthodox - or Haredi - gatherings.
Public opinion has turned against the community for its frequent large-scale violations of lockdown rules, as well as the government's perceived reluctance to strongly enforce the rules in the ultra-Orthodox community.
In recent weeks, there have been several large-scale Haredi funerals held for top rabbis who died of Covid-19 attended by thousands of people, despite the national lockdown in place.
While outdoor gatherings have been restricted to just 10 people, some of the funerals for the group's leading rabbis drew crowds of more than 10,000 people.
