About 30,000 people gathered in the Israeli capital for the Jerusalem Pride and Tolerance March on Thursday afternoon, as thousands of police officers secured the event.
Booths from NGOs and community organizations full of t-shirts and stickers were set up around Liberty Bell Park.
A group of mothers showed up to the March to offer free hugs to participants with t-shirts reading “everyone needs a parent’s love.”
#Jerusalem #Pride is somewhat unique among Pride marches as it tends to be more family friendly and has a large religious attendance blasting Jewish songs and dancing. pic.twitter.com/D3n11lahtm
— Tzvi Joffre (@TzviJoffre) June 1, 2023
Three Israelis were arrested in recent days for making threatening comments concerning the March, according to Israel Police.
The suspects were detained as Israel Police was on higher alert in the last few days in the runup to Pride Month.
National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir speaks to the press outside the police headquarters during the annual Jerusalem pride march on June 1, 2023 (credit: YONATAN SINDEL/FLASH90)The first suspect detained was a man in his 60s from near Jerusalem. He was detained on Wednesday night after writing social media posts encouraging people to murder participants in the march. At the end of his interrogation, the man, who denied that he intended to threaten or encourage harm, was sent to house arrest and was given a restraining order from Jerusalem for five days.
The second, a man in his 40s from Jerusalem was detained after he made extreme comments in an “unusual and suspicious manner” to another person about the march.
The third man, a Ramle resident was detained after making extreme anti-LGBTQ+ comments in a Telegram post. He too was given a five-day restraining order from Jerusalem at the end of his investigation.
Ben-Gvir: Those who oppose pride march must be respected
National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, following a security assessment in Jerusalem, said that the freedom of speech of those who oppose the march must be respected.
Earlier this week, Ben-Gvir said that “police’s role above all is to secure and guard the marchers. At the same time, the police must do everything to allow the demonstrators against the parade to exercise their freedom of expression and freedom to protest.
“These are basic rights in a democracy and must be protected. People must not be turned away or detained solely because of their religious appearance or their intention is to demonstrate against the parade,” Ben-Gvir said.
Israel Police has been preparing for Pride Month
In mid-May, a man was arrested and issued a restraining order distancing him from all Pride events this year, after sending a threatening email to the Jerusalem Open House reading “I hope that Yishai Schlissel (the haredi man who murdered Shira Banki, a 15-year-old girl, at the 2015 Pride parade) will be there to finish the job he started. [It’s] disgusting how you celebrate this mental disorder.”
During the march, the far-right Lehava organization will hold a protest against the event at Bloomfield Garden, across from the entrance to the opening stage at Liberty Bell Park. About 40 people have protested against the parade, including the leader of Lehava, Bentzi Gopstein, who said “there is no place for abomination in Jerusalem,” Ynet reported him as saying.
Demonstrators waved signs against the LGBT community and chanted: “Don’t give them children,” “No entry to the Holy Land” and “Jerusalem is not Sodom.”
On Wednesday, the Hamas terrorist movement condemned the Jerusalem Pride march, calling for Palestinians to “confront” the event.
Approximately 2,000 Jerusalem District police officers, including Border Police officers, will be operating along the parade route to secure the event.
Anti-judicial reform movement to join Pride March
In light of the protests against the government and the judicial reform, the march will serve as a demonstration of liberal values and pluralism, with the Jerusalem Open House for Pride and Tolerance stating it intends to hold it as “an event for everyone.”
A number of protest movements, as well as many opposition MKs, joined the march, with organizers saying they expected a larger-than-normal turnout.
The “Brothers in Arms” protest movement announced that it would “go up to Jerusalem to march in front of a Messianic government full of homophobes” on Thursday and called on other Israelis to join the march as well.
What to expect in Jerusalem during the march
The Jerusalem Pride and Tolerance March was conducted along its traditional route, setting off from Liberty Bell Park, before heading up Keren Hayesod Street, continuing to Paris Square and King George Street, and turning on Hillel Street before ending off at Independence Park, where the closing event takes place.
The march will be star-studded this year, with artists such as Ran Danker, Ivri Lider, Shahar Tavoch, Roni Duani, Etty Biton and Rinat Bar starring on the main stage and MKs Yair Lapid, Benny Gantz and Merav Michaeli participating in the opening ceremony.
Channel 13 journalist Neria Kraus and Israel Hayom journalist Eran Swissa will host the main stage. Drag artist Uriel Yekutiel hosted the opening ceremony.
“Today, Jerusalem is decorated not only with a variety of colors and a variety of women, but also with a wide and spectacular variety of emotions and feelings – we are extremely happy for the privilege of celebrating who we are, with great anger at the need to continue demonstrating for our most basic rights, we hope that the parade will pass peacefully, and we believe it has the power to influence the future of Jerusalem,” said Alon Shachar, CEO of the Jerusalem Open House for Pride and Tolerance, on Thursday.
Israelis march in Jerusalem during the pride march on June 1, 2023 (credit: TZVI JOFFRE)Volunteers from the “Mothers Against Violence” group will be present throughout the city center in order to prevent LGBT-phobic acts in the hours after the march.
The volunteers will be wearing yellow vests with the Hebrew word “Ima” (Hebrew for mother) and Pride flags. Anyone who encounters an LGBT-phobic incident can report it to the Nir Katz Center, which collects data on LGBT-phobia.
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