Israeli police detain anti-islamic protestor
July 27, 2015
Israeli news sources said that a young man situated himself at one of the entrances to the Dome of the Rock and the adjacent Al-Aqsa Mosque on Sunday evening, offending the prophet Mohammad by repeatedly calling him a pig. He was later arrested near the Wailing Wall in the early hours of Monday morning and taken into custody for questioning.
Luba Samri, spokeswoman for the Jerusalem Police Department, said that the police would show zero tolerance toward such acts of public provocation.
Hooded Muslims were also reported to have attacked Israeli police with rocks on Sunday, forcing the police to close in on location around the Al-Aqsa Mosque as well as searching the mosque itself.
Sunday's arrest followed a near-identical event earlier last week, when a 20-year-old Jewish woman had been detained in the same vicinity, accused of incitement of hatred by shouting "Mohammad is a pig."
Destruction of the Temple
Sunday marked the commemoration of the Destruction of the Temple (Tisha B'Av) in Jerusalem, during which many Jews fast. Alongside Yom Kippur, it ranks among the more solemn Jewish holidays. Cultural sensitivities appear to run particularly high on this annual occasion, often leading to clashes - as were witnessed on Sunday.
ss/kms (dpa, KNA)