
Bombing to Protest Jerusalem Gay Pride
JERUSALEM, ISRAEL -- Angry Ultra-Orthodox
Jews protesting against the annual Jerusalem Gay Pride parade are widely
suspected to be responsible for the detonation of a small-to-medium
sized bomb in Jerusalem Friday that injured one person.
"This attack was a direct response to our request for a permit from the
police for our June 21 march," Noa Sattah, executive director of the
Jerusalem's LGBT community center, told Gay City News.
Jerusalem
police believe that the detonation was intended to send a message to the
LGBT community. Flyers denouncing the planned Pride Parade were found at
the site of the bombing.
During the planning of World Pride, an international gathering of LGBT
activists, last year, two similar explosive devices were found, also
with anti-gay flyers right next to them. Those devices were not set to
detonate.
"Those were intended to send a threatening message," Sattah said.
In the wake of threats against World Pride last year, the planned march
was cancelled. Instead, a Protest Against Hatred vigil was held at
Liberty Bell Park. Sattah said that despite the vigil being one of the
most heavily secured events in the history of Israel, 32 Ultra-Orthodox
counter-protesters were arrested just outside the police perimeter. Two
of the arrestees were carrying assault weapons.
During the 2005 Gay Pride March, a religious extremist stabbed three
participants, though none of the wounds was life-threatening.
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