'Beast parade' held in Jerusalem
Pastor Dale Morgan
'Beast parade' held in Jerusalem*
Haredim, extreme right-wing activists take to streets with parade of
their own in protest of planned pride rally scheduled for Friday. During
'beast parade,' which follows same route as pride parade, protestors
accompanied by goats, donkeys. Itamar Ben-Gvir: At least these animals
haven't sinned
Aviram Zino
To each his own pride: The "beast parade" was held Thursday afternoon in
Jerusalem as part of the protest parades against the mass event planned
by the gay-lesbian community slated to take place Friday in the city.
Furthermore, haredim threw stones at drivers on a highway near Givat
Shmuel. Traffic was not disrupted.
The "beast parade" in Jerusalem was started by hundreds of haredim and
extreme right-wing activists
They were accompanied by goats and donkeys and carried signs saying
"Jerusalem, I am outraged" and "Enough uncleanliness" in the Rose Garden
across from the Knesset compound, the location from which the pride
parade is scheduled to embark Friday.
In the meantime, in light of increased security warnings and a heavy
workload for the police, the parade organizers from the gay rights
organization Open House said they are willing to hold the event in a
closed facility, without a parade.
Among the protest marchers Thursday was Itamar Ben-Gvir, an extreme
right-wing activist, who filed a petition against the pride parade in
the High Court of Justice. "Even if the parade is authorized in a closed
location, this, ultimately, is a victory for us," he said to Ynet.
About the beasts marching along with him Thursday, he claims, have a
clear advantage over the participants of Friday's parade: "They, alas,
haven't committed any sin."
The "beast parade" commenced after the High Court rejected the petition
of animal rights group Let Animals Live against exploiting animals.
The protestors mentioned that they intend to protest the pride event
Friday even if it will be without a parade. "As the hours pass, the
protest gains momentum," said one of them.
In the Palestinian Authority there are also concerns about "defiling
Jerusalem." In a press conference in Hebron, Sheikh Abu Sneineh and Azmi
Shiukhi, prominent Fatah activists in the city, warned against the
"moral massacre" about to take place in Jerusalem
"The occupation hurts al-Aqsa and us but gives foreign anarchists
defense and protection to march in the streets of the city. This is a
cancer whose objective is to destroy the Islamic nation through
humiliating Jerusalem by demonstrating the perversions of gays and
lesbians. The world must unite against this ugly, unprecedented crime,"
the sheikh said.
Avi Cohen contributed to this report