Thousands march at gay pride event
TEL AVIV: Thousands marched through the streets of Jerusalem yesterday for the city’s gay pride parade, with hundreds of police officers securing the annual event.
Rainbow flags fluttered from lamp posts and were waved by marchers demanding equal rights for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people in Israel.
“Today I march to remember that I am not just a Me. I am also a We. And I march with pride,” read a sign held by a participant at Jerusalem’s 16th pride march, the theme of which was “LGBTQ and Religion”.
The parade is the frequent target of criticism from conservative religious groups in the city holy to Jews, Muslims and Christians.
Twelve people were taken into custody before the start of the march on suspicion of try- ing to disrupt or cause harm, including one person who was carrying a knife, police said.
Memories are still fresh of an attack on the parade two years ago, when Yishai Schlissel, an Orthodox Jewish extremist, stabbed six marchers. Shira Banki, 16, later died from her wounds.
Schlissel had attacked the pride parade in Jerusalem in 2005, stabbing three people. He was convicted on three counts of attempted murder and sent to prison until 2015.
He was released just weeks before carrying out the attack. He is currently serving a life sentence for Banki’s murder. Israeli media reported that marchers laid flowers at the site where she was stabbed.
The parade in Jerusalem is small in comparison to the one held in Tel Aviv. About 200 000 took part in the celebration in the June. – ANA-DPA