Haredi Group Files Complaint Over Alleged Discriminatory Police Enforcement on Buses

The organization "Emet LeYaakov BeIsrael," represented by attorney Natan Mashat, filed a disciplinary complaint with the Israeli Police Commissioner, the head of the Traffic Division, and the Public Complaints Unit. The complaint concerns police enforcement actions on August 16 involving two buses with a Haredi character: an internal shuttle of the Mir Yeshiva and a bus on route 618 from Jerusalem to Beit Shemesh. According to the complaint, police officers acted unusually toward passengers during these incidents.

In the first event, one officer boarded the bus without visible identification and refused to identify himself. When a passenger expressed intent to file a complaint with the Police Investigations Department, the officer allegedly responded, "Are you threatening me?" In the second event, passengers received fines for not wearing seat belts. The organization claims that passengers explained the seat belts were broken, blocked, or unusable, but their claims were dismissed. The complaint also alleges errors in the fines, including incorrect personal details and identity numbers recorded for a foreign citizen, along with a note that the passenger "refused to sign."

Following these events, complaints were submitted to the Police Investigations Department, and requests and appeals to cancel the fines were filed. The organization demands a command-level investigation, activation of body cameras, and a review of the officers' conduct. They stated, "Law enforcement is a supreme value, but selective and targeted enforcement harming an entire community based on religious identity is improper and illegal. The Haredi public is not abandoned."

The claims in the article represent the organization's and complainants' allegations and have not been adjudicated. No response has been received from the Israeli Police at this time; any response will be published in full.