A common occurrence in any area with a haredi population is the removal of flags from cars. For some reason, some feel the need, and perhaps have some insecurity, to remove other peoples displays of patriotism.

In RBS we have such people, mostly in RBS B. Aside from their pwn personal protests they hold every year including flying of the PA flag, black flags, sitting in sackcloth, etc. they also will rip flags off of cars.

Readers have written to me about a group of thugs from RBS B who were stopping cars on the street last night and breaking flags off.

one particular reader mentioned something even more troubling - firsthand testimony.

last night there were about 100 people (including lots of kids) ripping flags off of private cars (and at least one Egged bus that I witnessed), on Hayarden near Ribal. I was driving from RBS towards Bet Shemesh and stopped two police vans that I saw there which were driving around aimlessly, and asked if they were planning to go over there and stop them. They both said yes, don't worry and I followed them each separately as they drove back up Mapilei Egoz.
The first one drove up to the circle near the non-mall and made a U-turn straight back where he came from. The second one drove on ahead of me at three kph in the right lane, I slowed to a crawl right behind him. When he saw I wasn't passing him, he pulled over, and I did the same right behind him. After a few minutes, he drove off and then I watched him drive until the circle with the non-mall, around the traffic circle and make the left towards Ezra V'Achva AWAY from where this was happening. I made the right and drove back up to RBS-A and there were still no police.
Was this a directive that they received? It seems hard to believe that it wasn't.

Why are the police avoiding dealing with these thugs who are endangering the community and themselves (playing in traffic), destroying personal property, destroying the State flag, etc? Perhaps they were simply undermanned and did not want to enter the hornets nest with just two vans? So how come they did not bring backup? Have they been told to avoid conflict with the local biryonim in RBS B? It is possible, as has been suggested from other similar incidents in the past where the police also did not step in when they should have.

Why do the police let this go on? The mayor has said in the past that he will stop such incidents with a heavy hand - is it all just talk to placate people, with nothing behind the words?

Maybe some politicians (hint hint TOV people) can make this an agenda of theirs? It should fit right in with their platform....