3,500 march in Jerusalem Gay Pride parade

by ryan | June 21, 2007 at 10:23 am

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The annual Jerusalem Pride Parade has again fought for its right to march through the streets of the Holy City. The ferocious protests by the ultra-Orthodox Jewish community have sadly become commonplace.

Roughly 3,500 people marched Thursday evening in the much-contested Jerusalem Gay Pride parade, as some 1,500 ultra-Orthodox men, settlers and right-wing activists demonstrated against the event.
500 ultra-Orthodox protesters marched along Jaffa Street in the city, in an attempt to intersect the march and confront the participants. Police blocked the demonstrators, however, arresting 12 of them.
"I am demanding my civil rights, including the right to get married and have children," said marcher Guy Frishman, 27. "I want to have rights like every other person."

Police had learned from previous marches that they need to be prepared for threats from various groups, both terrorists and the ultra-Orthodox.

The march took place under heavy guard, as Jerusalem Police deployed over 7,000 officers to protect the participants. Magen David Adom emergency service were expected to deploy 45 ambulances and a total of 200 medical staff along the parade route.

The number of participants was far less than the 5,000 people the parade's organizers had believed would take part.

The threat to participants this year reached a new level when Police arrested an ultra-Orthodox Jew in possession of a bomb.

Earlier Thursday, a resident of the ultra-Orthodox Mea Shearim neighborhood in Jerusalem was arrested on Jaffa Street in possession of a very small improvised explosive device.

Elsewhere in the city, ultra-Orthodox demonstrators set fire to garbage cans in Shabbat Square, and disrupted traffic in the area. In Beit Shemesh, two ultra-Orthodox demonstrators were arrested by police.