Jerusalem mayor skips gay pride march amid religious concern

The heavily secured march has been a point of contention for years in this deeply divided city.

Unlike the raucous parade in the liberal Israeli city of Tel Aviv, which this year drew some 200,000 people, the Jerusalem affair is relatively modest.

In an open letter earlier this month, Banki’s parents urged the whole Jerusalem community to come forward and march in solidarity at this year’s Pride. He had been released from prison three weeks before that attack after serving a sentence for stabbing several people at a pride parade in 2005.

According to The Times of Israel, Michael Schlissel’s mother and four other brothers were banned from the city after being questioned by police.

Police said in a statement they uncovered information that “Yishai Shlissel had planned, with his brother Michael Schlissel, to attack march participants”.

“I stand by their right to march, but we must remember that there are people who are offended from the existence of the parade”, Barkat told Army Radio. He did not elaborate. Police spokeswoman Luba Samri said 12 protesters were apprehended on suspicion of planning to disrupt the parade, with some carrying knives. They were subsequently asked to sign a pledge to stay out of Jerusalem today. Supporters of the gay pride march countered with messages such as “thou shalt not kill”.

Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat has drawn the ire of many in the gay community for announcing he would not attend Thursday’s march in part because it “offends the (ultra-Orthodox Jewish) public and the national-religious public”.

Many left-wing and center-left politicians took offense at what they deemed to be the mayor’s insensitive and myopic stance, particularly following the murder Banki by religious zealot Schlissel at last year’s parade. “I have chosen a different way of honoring the memory of Shira z ” l, who was a sweet, young girl murdered because of a boundless hatred. The event in the capital follows the cancellation of a gay pride parade last week in Be’er Sheva after authorities, citing security threats, required that organizers change the route of the parade, which had been due to be held along a major stretch of the city’s main thoroughfare.

“They are marching for one principle: that all people are equal”, Netanyahu said.

In an interview published Wednesday by Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth, Barkat said that while he supports the LGBT community, he could not participate because he does not want to “harm” the ultra-Orthodox community. News stories displayed here appear in our category for worldwide and are licensed via a specific agreement between LongIsland.com and The Associated Press, the world’s oldest and largest news organization. For the protection of AP and its licensors, content may not be copied, altered or redistributed in any form.