Anarchists Torch Cars, Barricade On Roof Of Israel’s National Library In Anti-War Protests

JERUSALEM (VINnews) — Dozens of protesters climbed onto the roof of the National Library building in Jerusalem, calling for an end to the war and the return of the hostages. They raised giant signs against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that read: “You abandoned and also killed!” The police reported they are negotiating with the protesters to bring them down, stating: “A handful of protest participants disrupted order by climbing onto the roof of the building, endangering themselves and not complying with police instructions at the scene.” Meanwhile, a convoy of vehicles is making its way to the capital as part of the protest demanding the release of the hostages.

Near the prime minister’s residence in Rehavia, protesters set fire to trash bins, but the fire spread, damaging and destroying private cars.

Tamar Bar-Shai, a resident whose car was completely destroyed in the fire this morning, shared her distress:

“We’re parents of three babies — twin daughters who are three-month-old preemies and a four-year-old girl. All our baby car seats and the gear in the car burned. My husband is in the reserves and has a call-up order starting next week. I have no idea how I’m going to get the kids to daycare once he’s gone. Just two days ago we invested in the car and outfitted it with everything we needed. Good luck to me getting the kids to preschool every morning without a vehicle,” she said in frustration.

She added, “My husband and I were asleep in our bedroom when we heard people yelling, ‘Get away, get away.’ He looked out the window and asked me not to — he didn’t want me to be frightened. But we immediately saw a big fire in the bin next to our car. We saw police officers shouting in all the buildings near the fire. They broke into apartments and got people out of bed to keep them safe. The officers told us there were other fire sites around the city.”

Police are referring to this morning’s events in Jerusalem as “criminal activity under the guise of protest.” They stated that they view these criminal acts with severity and will use all available means to bring those responsible to justice. No arrests have been reported so far.