Jerusalem gay pride march has some worried

JERUSALEM – A week before a planned gay pride parade in Jerusalem, the city’s religious Jews are warning of possible violence and a government minister said the march might have to be scrapped to keep the peace in the holy city.

Gay rights activists fear the parade could end like it did last year – with three marchers stabbed by an ultra-Orthodox protester – and they accuse opponents of assaulting democratic rights. But many devout Jews feel the parade has no place in Jerusalem and they want the march stopped.

“This march is a ruthless assault on traditional Jewish values and the sanctity of Jerusalem,” said Mina Fenton, an Orthodox member of Jerusalem’s City Council who has led the fight against the parade. More than 100,000 people will attend a counterdemonstration on the day of the march should it be allowed to go ahead, she said, and violence was a possibility.

“When you throw a match, you have to expect a fire,” Fenton said.

Notice boards in Jerusalem have been plastered with posters condemning the march, and prominent rabbis have issued calls to stop it.

Shlomo Amar, one of Israel’s two chief rabbis, wrote that by ignoring religious laws prohibiting homosexuality, the march “threatens the existence of the people of Israel in its land” and was more destructive than Nebuchadnezzar and Titus, referring to two historical figures who sacked Jerusalem.

Ultra-Orthodox protesters have already rioted in anticipation of the march. In one disturbance Wednesday, three policemen were hurt by stones and 20 protesters were arrested.

Elena Canetti, a march organizer who heads Jerusalem’s main gay rights group, the Open House, worried about the growing friction. “Their incitement might end in tragedy,” she said.

Police are moving ahead with preparations for the march, which will require thousands of police to provide security.

But the police have yet to issue a permit. Avi Dichter, the Cabinet minister in charge of the police, told Israel Radio on Wednesday that no permit would be issued if securing the march required so many officers that police would be forced to abandon other crucial duties.