Jerusalem - Thousands of members of Israel's gay community
marched down Jerusalem's King David Street Thursday afternoon,
protected by thousands of police there to safeguard the event from
demonstrations by ultra-Orthodox Jews opposed to it taking place in
the holy city.
The event ended after only an hour, and although organizers of the
event had expected some 5,000 marchers, police said around 2,000
people, some carrying defiant signs and banners, walked slowly and
calmly down the 500-metre route, under arches of balloons in the
colours of the gay rainbow flag.
Rainbow flags also hung from lampposts along the route.
Several marchers carrying a large over-sized rainbow flag with the
Jerusalem municipal flag embedded in it, led the march. Some marchers
described the event as 'subdued' and 'quiet.'
Despite the police presence, some protesters managed to infiltrate
the route, but were removed before they could cause any major
disruptions.
A group of religious teenage girls blowing whistles cried
'disgrace, disgrace' at the marchers and were then quickly escorted
away by armed policemen.
One ultra-Orthodox demonstrator, who Israel Radio said 'disguised'
himself by carrying the rainbow flag, began cursing the marchers, but
was removed by police, as was a protestor armed with eggs he intended
to hurl at the parade.
'Everything has gone according to plan, without major incident'
said police spokesman Mickey Rosenthal.
He said 19 people were arrested during the parade, including one
person who tried to pour oil on a road, and several people who
attacked marchers. None of the marchers required medical aid.
Police had earlier in the day arrested an ultra-Orthodox Jew
carrying a very small homemade explosive which he had intended to set
off to scare people away from the event.
Protestors also burned garbage cans in an ultra-Orthodox
neighbourhood in the city, and 1,500 demonstrated and held public
prayer services at the entrance to Jerusalem against the parade.
Ultra-Orthodox protests also took place in front of the prime
minister's residence, as well as near the home of the mayor of
Jerusalem, who had expressed opposition to the parade.
Police said these demonstrations also ended without incident.
The parade went ahead after the Israeli Supreme Court on Thursday
afternoon rejected last-minute petitions against it taking place.
A planned post-parade rally at Jerusalem's Liberty Bell Park,
which was to have taken place after the parade, was called off due to
a firefighters' strike, and organizers said smaller indoor events
would take place at clubs and bars in the city.
The parade has aroused the ire of religious Jews, Christians and
Muslims, and led opponents to take to the streets to demonstrate
against it.
Hundreds of ultra-Orthodox Israelis demonstrated in Jerusalem late
Wednesday, burning garbage containers and throwing stones at police,
while hundreds more held similar protests in the ultra-Orthodox Tel
Aviv suburb of Bnei Brak.
Protests leading up to the parade last year turned violent for
days in advance, and leaders of the Jerusalem Open House, which
organizes the event, were forced to hold it in a closed stadium far
removed from the city centre to ease the tensions.
© 2007 dpa - Deutsche Presse-Agentur 
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