"Police arrived quickly, dispersed the crowd and arrested three men.

Mayor Moshe Abutbul said, “I again condemn violence of any kind carried out by extremist elements from both sides, and call on the police to enforce the law with severity and with zero tolerance for those breaking the law and disturbing public order.”

Rabbi Dov Lipman, head of the Committee to Save Beit Shemesh that lobbies against ultra-Orthodox extremism in the city, said Abutbol’s comments are “part of the problem.”

“When a woman is attacked in this way, condemnation must be unconditional,” he said. “He is trying to minimize the extent of haredi extremism in Beit Shemesh when he should be conducting all-night sessions to work out how to solve the problem.”

According to several haredi websites, Mashiach went into the foyer of a synagogue to hang flyers but behaved immodestly when asked to leave.

Lipman said that he had spoken to an ultra-Orthodox witness who denied this version of events and said that Mashiach was outside the synagogue when she was attacked.

Lipman added, “I applaud the police for arresting suspects immediately and for promising more arrests.
There is no doubt that the police force has been more aggressive since we began our campaign to save the city and since a new chief took over two weeks ago.”