'Beast parade' held in Jerusalem Haredim, extreme right-wing activists take to streets [2006] 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.
photo by Dudi Zaakin
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