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Border Police officers detaining an ultra-Orthodox man at a protest against the Gay Pride parade in Jerusalem on Thursday. (Reuters)
Last update - 08:39 22/06/2007
Some 3,500 march in gay pride parade in Jerusalem
By Jonathan Lis and Yair Ettinger, Haaretz Correspondents and The Associated Press

Roughly 3,500 people marched in the much-contested gay pride parade in Jerusalem on Thursday evening, as some 1,500 ultra-Orthodox men and right-wing activists demonstrated against the event.

Some 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."
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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, with more than 7,000 police officers protecting the participants. The Magen David Adom emergency medical service was expected to deploy 45 ambulances and 200 medical personnel 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 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.

Parade organizers 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, citing fire code violations in his call for the cancellation of the parade.

Although the strike did not prevent the marchers from holding the parade, it did result in the cancellation of the post-parade rally.

Police limited the route of the parade, authorizing 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 march. The protesters hurled rocks and firebombs at the police officers. Two police cars were damaged and one 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 dummy bombs would be replaced with real ones unless the parade was canceled.

Related article:
Bradley Burston: They're here, they're queer - be proud of Israel
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  1.   A day of smiles in Brighton, West Sussex 09:08  |  Clickfool 21/06/07
  2.   dubious pride parade 09:13  |  joe 21/06/07
  3.   Quite funny really 10:00  |  Zephraim Cochrane 21/06/07
  4.   Parade 10:02  |  Michael 21/06/07
  5.   Even though the gays have every right to march 10:27  |  Yonatan 21/06/07
  6.   #4 Holocaust denial 10:35  |  Maks 21/06/07
  7.   #3 Zepharim Cochrene - apples and oranges 10:37  |  Yonatan 21/06/07
  8.   Tell me, Clickfool, would they demonstrate in Mecca? 10:50  |  Yonatan 21/06/07
  9.   Clickfool 10:52  |  Shandan 21/06/07
  10.   Provocation 11:05  |  Abraham 21/06/07
  11.   1# to clickfool 11:10  |  danalogue 21/06/07
  12.   Re: Yonathan 11:14  |  Lara 21/06/07
  13.   5# to yonatan 11:20  |  21/06/07
  14.   why shouldn`t they march in jerusalem? 11:21  |  India 21/06/07
  15.   clickfool right for once 11:22  |  miriam 21/06/07
  16.   misused freedom of speech 11:32  |  Ronen 21/06/07
  17.   #5 As a Christian 11:36  |  Zephraim Cochrane 21/06/07
  18.   Haaretz 12:05  |  Lara 21/06/07
  19.   Brighton - Jerusalem : two worlds apart, no point comparing Fool. 12:24  |  Aaron 21/06/07
  20.   We are not in any other country! 12:27  |  JB 21/06/07
  21.   If the get too frisky - Police will wash off makeup 13:38  |  Ibn Musa 21/06/07
  22.   Being Fairly, Truthfully & Tolerantly 13:40  |  Arik 21/06/07
  23.   to Abraham 14:09  |  the pope 21/06/07
  24.   THE SUPREME COURT IN SEDOM RULED THE SAME AS ISRAEL`S!! 14:41  |  THE POPE IN ROME 21/06/07
  25.   RE: Abraham #23 14:46  |  bleh 21/06/07
  26.   posting 5 is not entirely wrong 15:18  |  topanga 21/06/07
  27.   26 15:41  |  alan 21/06/07
  28.   A clear provocation 16:14  |  Anderson 21/06/07
  29.   why dont you march in Mecca 16:52  |  SAM EL SAVIJONDO 21/06/07
  30.   mecca! 17:12  |  tom 21/06/07
  31.   Shouting fire in a movie theater.... 17:14  |  Menachem Ben Yakov 21/06/07
  32.   Accept the will of the citizens! 17:24  |  William 21/06/07
  33.   #5, 26, 28 17:25  |  Yehudi echad 21/06/07
  34.   Civil rights activists are loud and vocal and get their rights 17:27  |  me 21/06/07
  35.   Clickfool#1 - happy moments 17:34  |  William 21/06/07
  36.   Depends on the Judge 17:35  |  me 21/06/07
  37.   Gays in Jerusalem 17:43  |  Avi 21/06/07
  38.   JEWISH TALIBAN SHOULD NOT BE TOLERATED! 17:44  |  tbart 21/06/07
  39.   Me#34 - on civil rights 17:47  |  William 21/06/07
  40.   photo of police gripping boy by neck 17:48  |  joe 21/06/07
  41.   Yawn...Haven`t we got more important things to do or worry about? 17:53  |  bat yam 21/06/07
  42.   Tolerance, not acceptance. 17:54  |  aaron 21/06/07
  43.   When is the right time, where is the right place? 18:00  |  me 21/06/07
  44.   Zephraim Cochrane, Israel occupying Jerusalem? 18:15  |  Jake 21/06/07
  45.   Go with your gay pride first to Mecca, please 18:31  |  Normal person 21/06/07
  46.   PARADE IS INCITEMENT TO VIOLENCE 18:33  |  moshe myers 21/06/07
  47.   Fiddling While Rome Faces Fire 18:39  |  Abu Freddie Mercury 21/06/07
  48.   #44 Jake 18:39  |  Zephraim Cochrane 21/06/07
  49.   Gay Parade 18:43  |  JJ Gross 21/06/07
  50.   48 18:57  |  alan 21/06/07
  51.   "I have a right to be married" 19:04  |  leon 21/06/07
  52.   I was there, it was quiet and subdued! I saw nothing immodest 19:06  |  m 21/06/07
  53.   Homosexuals have the right to "flaunt" their homosexuality 19:11  |  AV 21/06/07
  54.   U GO GAYS !! 19:16  |  george 21/06/07
  55.   JPost invterviewed the organizer of the march 19:17  |  AV 21/06/07
  56.   Thanks to the police officiers for enforcing human rights! 19:21  |  AV 21/06/07
  57.   Relgious homosexuals 19:23  |  Avi friend of Avi 21/06/07
  58.   Jerusalem belongs to all Jews, gay, straight, religious & secular 19:26  |  AV 21/06/07
  59.   Religions DONT have a "right" to persecute innocent women and men 19:35  |  AV 21/06/07
  60.   Parade, liberlalism... and Sussex 19:48  |  Daniel 21/06/07
  61.   to danalgoue and miriam 20:12  |  Dan 21/06/07
  62.   Zephraim Cochrane`s cock-and-bull story 20:14  |  Jake 21/06/07
  63.   #5 to yonatan 20:17  |  Yana 21/06/07
  64.   Dear Av and Avi 20:24  |  Dan 21/06/07
  65.   98.5% dictatorship - but who`s counting? 20:42  |  C McCoy 21/06/07
  66.   Try Parade in Vatican 20:44  |  Andrew 21/06/07
  67.   gays have no right to infringe on religion and religious life 21:06  |  SHIMON 21/06/07
  68.   LEAVE THE RELIGIOUS ALONE! March somewhere esle! 21:07  |  SHIMON 21/06/07
  69.   this parade is childish and disrespectul 21:08  |  SHIMON 21/06/07
  70.   should people be able to.... 21:16  |  Igor D. 21/06/07