The World : Court OKs Sabbath Films

Cinema owners in Jerusalem, the targets of ultra-Orthodox Jewish protesters, won court backing to show films on Saturdays, the Jewish Sabbath. The Jerusalem magistrate’s court overturned a municipal bylaw banning the screening of films on the Jewish holy day, saying it was undemocratic and without authority. “This regulation deprives a section of society of the right to enjoy their day of rest in their own way and according to their own tastes,” the court said. Meanwhile, mounted police and tear gas were used to break up weekend demonstrations in Jerusalem in the so-called “Sabbath wars” in which ultra-Orthodox Jews try to block car traffic and the screening of films. Ten people were arrested.