Ultra-Orthodox Protesters Clash With Customers at Jerusalem Cafe Over Sabbath Opening

In Jerusalem's Nachlaot neighborhood, the "Basemta" cafe on Agripas Street has become a frequent flashpoint for clashes between ultra-Orthodox protesters and liberal customers over the cafe's operation on the Sabbath. On Saturday morning, ultra-Orthodox individuals attempted to block the cafe's entrance with barriers to disrupt its opening, continuing a pattern of harassment and vandalism that has persisted for weeks. Customers arriving at the cafe were met with protests and calls of "Shabbos" from local ultra-Orthodox residents.

Last week, a 75-year-old woman smeared glue on the cafe's lock, delaying its opening by 40 minutes. She was arrested by police from the Jerusalem district's Lev HaBira station and banned from the cafe for six months by court order. Security footage captured her applying the glue during the night. The previous week saw the most intense confrontation when hundreds of secular residents and liberal activists formed a human barrier to prevent ultra-Orthodox protesters from forcing the cafe's closure. Police deployed in large numbers successfully kept the protesters from entering the premises.

Additionally, on the same week, police arrested a teenager who threw feces at the cafe. These incidents highlight ongoing tensions in Jerusalem between ultra-Orthodox communities opposing commercial activity on the Sabbath and secular residents asserting their right to leisure and business operations during the weekend.