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Some 2,000 march in Gay Pride parade in Jerusalem
By Jonathan Lis and Yair Ettinger, Haaretz Correspondents and The Associated Press, 21/6/2007
Roughly 2,000 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.
Police arrested 12 anti-Gay Pride protestors who confronted the participants in the march.
"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."
One man evaded police to approach marchers yelling: "Filth! Get out of Jerusalem!" He was escorted away by police.
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 parade began at the junction of King David Street and Moshe Hess Street and ended in the nearby Liberty Bell Park.
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.
Organizers of the Jerusalem Gay Pride parade petitioned the High Court of Justice on Thursday to instruct the Jerusalem municipality to station fire engines and sewage draining vehicles at the site of the post-parade rally, in order to bypass a firefighters' strike which threatened to bring about the cancellation of the rally.
Six days ago, some 1,500 firefighters went on strike and refused to secure events or grant licenses to businesses. The firefighters said they would not grant a license to the parade organizers.
Right-wing activist Itamar Ben-Gvir submitted a petition to the High Court earlier Thursday, calling for the cancellation of the parade, citing fire code violations.
The strike did not prevent the marchers from holding the parade, but did result in the cancellation of the post-parade rally.
Jerusalem Police limited the route of the parade, authorizing the parade's organizers from the Jerusalem Open House gay rights organization to hold a procession along a stretch of only several hundred yards.
Police began scouring the route on Wednesday, to prevent the possibility of extremists planting explosives or other means of injuring the participants.
The officers selected to participate in the operation had prepared for a wide variety of scenarios, ranging from stabbing attempts to terrorist attacks with multiple casualties.
Two years ago, an ultra-Orthodox demonstrator, Yishai Schlissel, leaped into the parade and stabbed three participants who sustained minor to moderate wounds.
On Wednesday night, 23 ultra-Orthodox demonstrators were arrested and two police officers were hurt in violent protests against the upcoming march. The protesters hurled rocks and firebombs at the police officers. Two police cars were damaged, one of them was set on fire. The police used water cannons to disperse the protests.Jerusalem also saw demonstrations in Givat Shaul, Mea Shearim, Beit Yisrael and Bait Vagan. On some occasions, protesters threw stones at the police and set fire to garbage canisters. Four officers suffered minor injuries, and seven protesters were arrested. Police also found two dummy explosives, one in Beit Hakerem, the other in Ramot. The fake explosives included notes warning that the fake bombs would be replaced with real ones unless the parade is canceled.
Some 2,000 march in Gay Pride parade in Jerusalem
By Jonathan Lis and Yair Ettinger, Haaretz Correspondents and The Associated Press, 21/6/2007
Roughly 2,000 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.
Police arrested 12 anti-Gay Pride protestors who confronted the participants in the march.
"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."
One man evaded police to approach marchers yelling: "Filth! Get out of Jerusalem!" He was escorted away by police.
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 parade began at the junction of King David Street and Moshe Hess Street and ended in the nearby Liberty Bell Park.
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.
Organizers of the Jerusalem Gay Pride parade petitioned the High Court of Justice on Thursday to instruct the Jerusalem municipality to station fire engines and sewage draining vehicles at the site of the post-parade rally, in order to bypass a firefighters' strike which threatened to bring about the cancellation of the rally.
Six days ago, some 1,500 firefighters went on strike and refused to secure events or grant licenses to businesses. The firefighters said they would not grant a license to the parade organizers.
Right-wing activist Itamar Ben-Gvir submitted a petition to the High Court earlier Thursday, calling for the cancellation of the parade, citing fire code violations.
The strike did not prevent the marchers from holding the parade, but did result in the cancellation of the post-parade rally.
Jerusalem Police limited the route of the parade, authorizing the parade's organizers from the Jerusalem Open House gay rights organization to hold a procession along a stretch of only several hundred yards.
Police began scouring the route on Wednesday, to prevent the possibility of extremists planting explosives or other means of injuring the participants.
The officers selected to participate in the operation had prepared for a wide variety of scenarios, ranging from stabbing attempts to terrorist attacks with multiple casualties.
Two years ago, an ultra-Orthodox demonstrator, Yishai Schlissel, leaped into the parade and stabbed three participants who sustained minor to moderate wounds.
On Wednesday night, 23 ultra-Orthodox demonstrators were arrested and two police officers were hurt in violent protests against the upcoming march. The protesters hurled rocks and firebombs at the police officers. Two police cars were damaged, one of them was set on fire. The police used water cannons to disperse the protests.Jerusalem also saw demonstrations in Givat Shaul, Mea Shearim, Beit Yisrael and Bait Vagan. On some occasions, protesters threw stones at the police and set fire to garbage canisters. Four officers suffered minor injuries, and seven protesters were arrested. Police also found two dummy explosives, one in Beit Hakerem, the other in Ramot. The fake explosives included notes warning that the fake bombs would be replaced with real ones unless the parade is canceled.
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