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Protests mar Jerusalem Pride parade
Fri Jun 4, 7:08 PM ET
Ben Townley, Gay.com U.K.
The Israeli city of Jerusalem held its third Pride march Thursday for its lesbian, gay and bisexual population, although protests marred the day of celebrations.
Approximately 3,000 participants from across the city joined together to march in the early evening, but encountered hostility from some in the crowds.
Two men were arrested for throwing eggs at participants, while Orthodox Jewish people had previously placed posters throughout the city denouncing the parade.
Additionally, local newspapers reported that posters telling children to keep away from the "sinners" were also visible.
Security was particularly tight, after ultra-Orthodox groups threatened to harm the city's mayor for allowing the parade to take place.
Mayor Uri Lupolianski had bodyguards for the day, despite him being the first ultra-Orthodox mayor elected in the city. His previous supporters were angry that he did not stop the Pride events, despite them being popular among the city's gay community.
However, organizers were keen to point out that he had not fully supported the event, and had at some points acted as an obstacle to the process. According to the Ha'aretz newspaper, those behind the parade said Lupolianski had failed to pay the funding promised for last year's event.
"Always forgive your enemies...nothing annoys them quite so much." Oscar Wilde
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Steve
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Really getting into it |
Location: London, England
Registered: November 2006
Messages: 465
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I dunno.  I wasn't there, but I saw it on TV. The newspaper report that David quotes for us seems to have been written by someone who was not present, from material drawn from Israeli online newspapers.
This year the march was moved to start at 6.30 pm so that the participants wouldn't have to march in the heat of the day. The march took its usual route from the Ben-Yehuda pedestrian mall down King George street to Independence Park, where after the march there was a "happening" into the night.
Tel-Aviv's pride marches are attended by local and national dignitaries because Tel-Aviv is ... Tel-Aviv - and very gay friendly. Jerusalem is "the Holy City", a large proportion of its population is ultra-orthodox, and the mayor himself is ultra-orthodox. So the mayor was threatened by his own people, as it were, for permitting the Pride event at all. Because of the city's very religious complexion life is not easy for the capital's gays. The Jerusalem Open House, which organises the event each year, provides a wonderful service not only for Israeli gays, but also for Palestinian gays who come to visit the Open House: for them it is a haven from the extreme, violent and hate-filled Moslem attitude towards gays. I do not know whether any Palestinians joined the march, because even if they did it would not be reported - for their own sake.
This year's Pride March was a success and is perhaps a prelude to next year's event when the International Pride March will take place in Jerusalem, attended by gays from all over the world. We live in interesting times.  )
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Anybody we Know and love attend this event? 
