Thousands Israelis protest against violence of zealots

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Thousands Israelis protest against violence of zealots

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Thousands of Israelis protest against ultra Orthodox violence and gender segregation.

28 December,2011 06:37 pm

Several thousand pro-democracy activists protested in Israel on Tuesday (December 27) against violence by religious zealots trying to impose their religious code on a flashpoint town near Jerusalem.The protest in the town of Beit Shemesh was organised after an outburst of public anger over an eight-year-old girls charges on national television that ultra-Orthodox men had spat at her on her way to school, accusing her of immodest dress.I think its very crazy that this is what were fighting for. This thing is really big and were fighting for something really serious, demonstrator Kinneret Havern told Reuters television.We are struggling over Israels character not only in Beit Shemesh and not only over the exclusion of women but against all the extremists who have come out of the woodwork to try and impose their world view on us, Parliamentary opposition leader Tsipi Livni said at the rally.Some protesters held signs that read Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, and We came to drive away the darkness, alluding to ultra orthodox violence.Shouting Nazis, Nazis, religious protesters in Beit Shemesh, clashed on Monday with police deployed to prevent zealots from attacking TV news crews reporting on tensions in the town, some 30 km (18 miles) from Jerusalem.Authorities further stoked anger among the zealots, who advocate gender segregation, by removing a sign urging women to avoid certain streets in areas where the ultra-religious live.Some bus lines in religious neighbourhoods nationwide are already segregated, with women sitting in the back of vehicles. Under Israeli law, they do not have to move to the rear but risk verbal and physical abuse from male passengers for refusing to do so.Some rabbis in Jerusalem have demanded that businesses avoid posting photographs of women or employing them in any of the shops patronised by the ultra-Orthodox.Though numbering only 10 percent of Israels mostly Jewish population of 7.7 million, the ultra-Orthodox wield political clout in a country where no one party has ever won a parliamentary majority and coalition governments have always ruled.Many rabbis have insisted the incidents in Beit Shemesh were the acts of a fringe minority. Some rabbis, among them members of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus leading ultra-Orthodox coalition partner, the Shas party, have joined him in condemning the violence. -- Reuters