Sixth Consecutive Weekend of Violent Clashes at 'Basmeta' Café

For the sixth consecutive time, clashes erupted this morning (Saturday) around the 'Basmeta' café on Agrippas Street in Jerusalem, as dozens of Haredi protesters tried to force its closure while hundreds of secular residents defended it. Police deployed reinforcements, separated the sides, and prevented protesters from entering the compound. The protesters shouted slogans and threw eggs but were repelled. The article portrays the struggle as an existential battle over the secular public's right to an open public space on Shabbat in Jerusalem.

For the sixth consecutive time, clashes were recorded this morning (Saturday) around the 'Basmeta' café on Agrippas Street in Jerusalem. Dozens of Haredi protesters arrived at the scene aiming to force its closure, while hundreds of secular residents and liberal activists formed a human wall at the entrance. Large police forces were deployed in advance, set up barriers, and completely separated the two sides, thereby entirely preventing protesters from entering the café compound. Due to the separation, the clashes took place outside the plaza and further down the street. The protesters shouted 'Shabbos' slogans and threw eggs toward the compound but were repelled by the officers. As of this hour, relative quiet prevails at the scene. Just last Thursday, police arrested a youth who threw feces at the café. The article describes the events as an 'aggressive show of force by fanatical groups' seeking to establish facts on the ground, and links them to the reality of Jerusalem, where the supply of entertainment venues open on Shabbat is limited to almost zero. The struggle is presented as an existential battle over the very secular presence in the capital, against the backdrop of dramatic demographic and political changes.