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Ultra-Orthodox riot across Israel over lockdown

Resistance to pandemic restrictions has grown violent in ultra-Orthodox towns, where a bus driver was attacked during anti-government riots.
Israeli security forces arrest an Ultra-Orthodox Jewish man during a protest against the enforcement of coronavirus emergency regulations, in the Ultra Orthodox jewish neighborhood of Mea Shearim, in Jerusalem, on October 5, 2020. (Photo by AHMAD GHARABLI / AFP) (Photo by AHMAD GHARABLI/AFP via Getty Images)

A mob of ultra-Orthodox men attacked two buses in the central city of Bnei Brak last night. One of the drivers was beaten and chased from his vehicle before the rioters set the bus on fire. By the time firefighters arrived, the bus was destroyed. The flames reached nearby electric cables, causing a partial blackout in the city. Apartments in the vicinity were damaged by the flames and smoke. Police used stun grenades to clear the rioters, who also chased some journalists at the scene.

Four people were reportedly arrested during the night on suspicion of damaging property and attempting to harm emergency workers. Rioters toppled a traffic light and set fire to trash bins. They continued to block roads in the city into the early morning. A police statement said that during the clashes, one of the officers felt threatened as he was surrounded by rioters and fired a warning shot into the air.

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