Counterprotest in Bnei Brak Turns Violent After Massive Haredi Demonstrations

After Wednesday’s large-scale protests that paralyzed parts of Israel, demonstrators הגיעו on Friday to the outskirts of Bnei Brak and clashed with Haredi residents. Police blocked one of the city’s streets as tensions rose amid threats from Haredi leaders to intensify their struggle and harsh criticism of what was described as “the non-serving public” that is shutting down the country.

Footage from the scene showed physical confrontations, with protesters using their bodies to block Haredi residents from passing. The exchange also turned symbolic: the counterprotesters sang “Hatikvah,” while the Haredi residents responded with the prayer song “Adzu etza v’tufar, daberu davar v’lo yakum.” Police intervened and closed Kahneman Street to traffic in order to separate the sides and prevent further violence.

The counterprotest was a reaction to Wednesday’s Haredi show of force, which lasted about four hours and disrupted major routes nationwide. Police had prepared for “extreme scenarios” and severe congestion because the protest involved slow-moving car convoys on major highways, and officials said some participants got out of their vehicles and walked on the roadways.

The traffic disruptions had serious consequences. Near Sha’ar HaGai, the heavy congestion and slow convoy caused a chain-reaction crash in which a woman in advanced pregnancy was injured after her car hit the vehicle in front of it. Traffic police said the ambulance took more than 25 minutes to reach the scene because of the massive delays. Elsewhere on Wednesday, police blocked access to Kfar Yona on the way to Prison 10, which the protesters were targeting, and also stepped in during a fight near a residential complex in Arad.