Shea Levin — text status

*EDITORIAL:* YWN has been clear and consistent for the past 24 years: Hafganos are perfectly acceptable *in a democracy*. If protesters have a permit to close a street, so be it. Otherwise, demonstrations belong on sidewalks. Shutting down major highways and inconveniencing entire populations is wrong, regardless of who is protesting. But the horrifying footage emerging from Bnei Brak raises deeply disturbing questions about police brutality. Flash grenades thrown into crowds? Chareidim violently beaten bloody, scores hospitalized, and blood spilled on the streets? Is this how a democracy treats unarmed protesters? *The scenes are reminiscent of communist Russia*, not a country that prides itself on democratic freedoms. If police officers in the United States were caught engaging in such conduct, there would be demands for criminal investigations, arrests, dismissals, and accountability. But will anyone be held accountable here? Don't hold your breath. Chareidi blood is cheap. Nothing to see here. Move along.