For the third Saturday in a row, ultra-Orthodox demonstrators protested against Cafe Basimta in Jerusalem for opening on Shabbat, the Jewish day of rest.

The cafe was opened a little over a month ago in a small alley off Agripas Street in central Jerusalem, and has since then become a regular target of ultra-Orthodox protesters on Saturdays, leader secular counter-protesters to arrive to support it.

The Haredi protesters chanted “Stop destroying Jerusalem” at customers and employees, as footage showed dozens of secular people lined up at the venue in support.

On the last two Saturdays, dozens of Haredi men and boys tried to block the entrance to the cafe and shouted at patrons outside.

Police appeared more prepared this week for the disruptions, erecting barriers earlier in the day to prevent the Haredi protesters from reaching the cafe in the alley.

Appearing in support of the cafe, Jerusalem’s deputy mayor Adir Schwartz told reporters outside that the Haredi protesters were trying to “terrorize the business owners and the Jerusalem public, just because they chose to open the cafe on Shabbat.”

Schwartz said he was “standing by the business owners and made it clear that a handful of extremists cannot dictate to Jerusalemites how to live.”

בפעם השלישית ברציפות: מחאות מול בית קפה "בסמטה" הפתוח בשבת בירושלים.........

© The Times of Israel