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.