Haredim assault Christian tourists

Group wearing "Love thy neighbor as thyself" t-shirts attacked in Mea Shearim.

By ETGAR LEFKOVITS
A group of Christian supporters of Israel wearing t-shirts reading "Love thy neighbor as thyself" was assaulted Wednesday in Jerusalem's Mea Shearim neighborhood by a crowd of haredim, police said. Three of the tourists were lightly injured in the late-morning attack in the well-known haredi neighborhood as was a police officer, Jerusalem police spokeswoman Sigal Toledo said. They were treated on the scene by Magen David Adom paramedics. Police arrested two haredi men suspected of attacking the members of the group. The group of 50 tourists, who were apparently identified as Christians by local residents, came under attack while walking through the neighborhood by about 100 haredim who congregated in the area and started to hit them. Police forces rushed to the scene to break up the attack. Police said that they are waiting for the tourists to file a complaint with police so that they can press charges against the suspects. The rare assault comes at a time of increasingly close relations between Israel and Christian supporters of Israel around the world. At the same time, some members of the haredi sector view such ties as an anathema due to ongoing concerns over proselytizing. After police dispersed the crowd of attackers, haredi residents set a garbage bin on fire in the area, forcing police to briefly close off the street to traffic in the area.