ABC’s Middle East correspondent Anne Barker recounts being attacked by a riotous crowd or ultra-Orthodox Jews protesting the opening of a carpark on Shabbat:
… I was aware that earlier protests had erupted into violence on previous weekends – Orthodox Jews throwing rocks at police, or setting rubbish bins alight, even throwing dirty nappies or rotting rubbish at anyone they perceive to be desecrating the Shabbat.
But I never expected their anger would be directed at me. …
I suddenly found myself in the thick of the protest — in the midst of hundreds of ultra-Orthodox Jews in their long coats and sable-fur hats.
They might be supremely religious, but their behaviour — to me — was far from charitable or benevolent.
As the protest became noisier and the crowd began yelling, I took my recorder and microphone out of my bag to record the sound.
Suddenly the crowd turned on me, screaming in my face. Dozens of angry men began spitting on me.
I found myself herded against a brick wall as they kept on spitting — on my face, my hair, my clothes, my arms.
It was like rain, coming at me from all directions — hitting my recorder, my bag, my shoes, even my glasses.
Big gobs of spit landed on me like heavy raindrops. I could even smell it as it fell on my face.
Somewhere behind me — I didn’t see him — a man on a stairway either kicked me in the head or knocked something heavy against me. …
Here’s the full account.
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