BySARAH BEN-NUN

Haredi protests started up again in Jerusalem's Bar Ilan Junction after they were dispersed earlier by Israel Police in Kikar HaShabbat earlier on Monday evening.

The protesters, numbering in the hundreds, at the Bar Ilan Junction, burned garbage cans and blocked the road, as well as damaged passing vehicles and the current construction areas of the light rail.

Additionally, one police officer was injured his hand from stones that were thrown at him by the protesters.
Israel Police face protesters fighting against the construction of the light rail in Jerusalem, January 25, 2021.
Israel Police face protesters fighting against the construction of the light rail in Jerusalem, January 25, 2021. (Credit: POLICE SPOKESPERSON'S UNIT)

In total, 14 protesters were arrested, all for public disruption. Eight were arrested earlier in the night, while six were taken in later, near the Bridge of Strings in downtown Jerusalem, where more protesters gathered, according to Walla.

Ynet later reported that one of their photographers, Alex Kolomoisky, suffered a head injury due to stone-throwing at the protests near the Bridge of Strings. He was taken to Sha'are Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem for medical care.

Protests in Haredi neighborhoods and cities have flared up over the last few days, mostly against coronavirus enforcement by Israel Police. 
Over the last few weeks, various protests have taken place specifically against the light rail construction, adding routes that are expected to pass through ultra-Orthodox areas of Jerusalem. Police eventually managed to disperse all of them, but not before damage was done to the construction area, and some to passerbys as well as police officers themselves.