Again this week: Haredim clash with customers of the "Ba-Smita" cafe
Before opening time, Haredim tried to place barriers at the entrance to the cafe in an attempt to disrupt its operation. In recent weeks, the cafe has become a focal point of clashes between Haredim protesting its operation on Shabbat and liberals standing up for their right to enjoy the weekend.
Again today, Saturday, Haredim arrived to clash with customers at the Ba-Smita cafe in Jerusalem, in an event that has become routine in recent weeks. The cafe, located on Agrippas Street in the Nachlaot neighborhood, has long suffered from harassment and acts of vandalism by Haredim protesting against it being open on Shabbat. This morning, Haredim arrived and tried to place barriers at the entrance to the business. Afterward, the cafe's customers were met with shouts of "Shabbes" and protests by local residents.
Last week, a woman aged about 75 smeared glue on the business's lock, causing a 40-minute delay in its opening. Officers from the Lev HaBira station in the Jerusalem District arrested her, and the court issued a restraining order keeping her away from the cafe for a period of six months. Security camera footage shows a woman in a dress arriving during the night to smear glue on the lock.
The week before, the clashes reached a peak when Haredi protesters arrived at the site with the goal of forcing its closure, while hundreds of secular residents and liberal activists stood against them, forming a human wall at the entrance. Large police forces deployed in the alley managed to prevent the Haredim from entering the cafe complex. On Thursday of that same week, the police arrested a teenager who threw feces at the cafe.
