Several hundred Yidden gatehred to day once again to protest the opening of the Karta parking lot in Yerushalayim on Shabbosos. Police prevented protestors from marching towards the controversial lot and a few protesters were evacuated by police. No injuries were reported and no arrests were made.
The protest against the opening of the Karta lot on Shabbos has been held every Shabbos even since the Yerushalayim municipality announced its intention to keep the lot open, in order to ease weekend parking troubles in the city.
{Yair Alpert-Matzav.com Israel}
Genuk shoin with the protests. the municipality is obviously not changing their mind.
The Hareidim have every right to protest the parking lot, as long as they do it peacefully and with dignity. The honor of Shabbos must be upheld even when protesting its desecration.
When protestors throw rocks and otherwise create a hillul HaShem, that is not right. But Israel is a democracy, and that means that free speech is protected as long as it doesn’t lead to injuries, property destruction or major disorder. In fact, protests which are conducted properly can make secular people more aware of Shabbos in a positive way.