Some 100 Ultra-Orthodox Jewish youths clashed with police in Jerusalem on Sunday morning, protesting the sale of hametz (leavened bread) during the week of Passover in Jerusalem restaurants.

The conflict began after a rally that took place near Shabbat Square in the Mea Shearim neighborhood. At the end of the rally, the protestors sought to march towards Hillel Street, an area which contains a number of restaurants that sell hametz and non-kosher meat. Police refused to allow the march and instructed the protestors to disperse.

Some youngsters succeeded in blocking the street with trash cans and piles of wood. The police then tried to disperse the crowd by force, which led a few ultra-Orthdox Jews to throw rocks at the police.

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Heads of the ultra-Orthodox community used a public address system in Mea Shearim to instruct the residents to go and join the protest and try and reach the restaurants. In the end, some 20 protestors managed to reach Hillel Street and demonstrate there. The fact that the first branches of the Aroma and Hillel cafe chains are situated on Hillel Street gave the protest a symbolic significance for the Orthodox Jews.

Another group of ultra-Orthodox Jews tried to reach the Nahalat Shiva promenade in central Jerusalem, but they were effectively blocked on Rabbi Kook Street by police forces.