9 arrested after secret tunnel found under NYC synagogue. What is going on?

globalnews.ca:

local media reports, and has caused a schism in the community between those who support the tunnel and those who do not.The tunnel is believed to have been dug by students and young men in the community in a bid to expand the synagogue and annex additional space in the basement of an empty apartment building behind the headquarters, according to reporting by the New York Times and The Associated Press.When Chabad leaders called in a cement truck on Monday afternoon to seal up the passageway’s opening, supporters of the tunnel staged an impromptu protest to block the effort. The ensuing conflict turned violent as police moved in.Nine people between the ages of 19 and 22 were ultimately arrested on charges that included criminal mischief, reckless endangerment and obstructing governmental administration, according to police.

Another three received summonses for disorderly conduct.Videos and photos of the skirmish showed a large, gaping hole in the concrete wall of a prayer space, leading to the tunnel. Wooden panels covering the concrete wall had been ripped off.A number of young men were filmed sitting in the tunnel’s opening, seemingly to prevent the passageway from being filled in.

Large wooden benches had also been moved to block police from moving into the tunnel.For several hours, police pleaded with the young men to leave the entrance to the tunnel, according to witnesses. After they refused, the officers covered the area with a white curtain and entered the dusty crevasse with zip ties to detain the protesters.“When they took the first person out with zip ties, that’s when the outburst happened,” said Baruch Dahan, a 21-year-old studying at the synagogue who videotaped the congregants fighting.