Jerusalem to Ban Annual Gay Pride Parade

AP ^ | June 23, 2005 | GAVIN RABINOWITZ

[West Coast Conservative]

Jerusalem officials said Thursday they will ban the annual gay pride parade set for next week, claiming the march would offend many of the holy city's residents.

Organizers of the parade appealed to Israel's Supreme Court to repeal the ruling, saying the decision was a violation of the homosexual community's freedom of expression.

The city council, including the mayor, decided ``it is not right to allow the march or other planned activities to take place in the streets of Jerusalem, fearing that it will create an uproar, offend a wide sector of city residents and out of fear of public disturbances,'' Eitan Meir, director general of City Hall, said in a letter to organizers.

The Associated Press obtained a copy of the letter from city officials.

A majority of Jerusalem's more than 600,000 residents are either Orthodox Jews or Muslim or Christian Palestinians - conservative communities that oppose homosexuality.

The march, scheduled for June 30, was to be the fourth annual parade. The three previous parades have passed peacefully, attended by several thousand people and with only minor incidents of vandalism and protest.

The organizers of the parade, the Jerusalem Open House for Pride and Tolerance, appealed to the court to allow the march to go ahead.

``The actions of the mayor, and those carrying out his policies, are injurious to the values of freedom of expression,'' said Open House director Hagai El-Ad.

The city decision comes just weeks after the Jerusalem Open House postponed WorldPride 2005, a 10-day gathering that includes street parties, workshops and a gay film festival, until August 2006.

[Aetius]

I had the impression that Jerusalem is a liberal city.

[KentTrappedInLiberalSeattle]

"Ohhhhhhhhh... POO!!!"

[KentTrappedInLiberalSeattle]

Ping!

[M. Espinola]

This is a common sense move.

[avile]

let them march in Nablus or Gaza

[Question Liberal Authority]

claiming the march would offend many of the holy city's residents.

You'd certainly hate for someone in the Middle East to be offended.

[Tempestuous]

"``The actions of the mayor, and those carrying out his policies, are injurious to the values of freedom of expression,''"

- Being that homosexuality is injurious to mens ass holes...I'll call it even. Thanks.

[CaptainAwesome2]

Haha, i hope we never lose our ability to make fun of gays.

[A. Pole]

A majority of Jerusalem's more than 600,000 residents are either Orthodox Jews or Muslim or Christian Palestinians - conservative communities that oppose homosexuality.

I have an idea. Why don't these Rainbow Revolutionaries rebuild the ancient cities where they could practice their parades all the year round. The locations are on this map:

[Happy2BMe]

But will Hillary and Barbara Streisand still go, dahling . .

===================

A majority of Jerusalem's more than 600,000 residents are either Orthodox Jews or Muslim or Christian Palestinians - conservative communities that oppose homosexuality.

The march, scheduled for June 30, was to be the fourth annual parade. The three previous parades have passed peacefully, attended by several thousand people and with only minor incidents of vandalism and protest.

[Red Sea Swimmer]

Good !

[NatsFan]

As offensive as the idea of holding a gay right march in Jerusalem is, I don't think I could agree with the government intervening to stop a demonstration just because it is unpopular with the local populace. After all, if Christians wanted to hold a march in San Francisco, we wouldn't want the government there blocking the march?

It would have been more destructive for the gay rights cause to let them go ahead with the march. Right now a lot of people sympathize with them because they are viewed to be victims of persecution. But had this gone through, this would offended the sensibilites of people and turned people against them.