Thousands of people marched Thursday in
Jerusalem's LGBT Pride parade.
According to the AP, police detained 12
people, including a person with a knife, who appeared likely to
disrupt the parade. A far-right group protested the parade. One
protester held a sign which read, “This is immorality and violation
of the divine commandments of the Bible!”
The Jerusalem Post reported that
police arrested a 33-year-old man on Thursday morning after posting
threats related to the parade on Facebook.
The AFP estimated attendance at 10,000.
Revelers marched from Gan Hapaamon park to Independence Park.
“[Jerusalem] is a very multicultural
city, it is very tolerant,” a participant told the AFP. “There
are a few that aren't. Last year we had about 25,000 people here, I
believe. So the locals – people came from all over the country –
but the locals really showed their support. Again, there's always
going to be some part of the ultra-religious, ultra-orthodox that
don't like us but they have their own parade today, they're over
there and we're over here, and we're having a good time.”
Two years ago, a 16-year-old girl,
Shira Banki, was stabbed to death at the parade by a radical
ultra-orthodox Jew.
(Related: Ultra-orthodox
man who killed teen at Jerusalem gay pride parade sentenced to life.)