The Israeli police claimed to have dismantled a planned attack on participants in the Gay PrideOn Jerusalem, celebrated this Thursday (21) and whose 2015 edition was marked by the death of a young woman at the hands of an ultra-Orthodox Jew.
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According to the police, the perpetrator of the murder, Yishai Shlissel, Sentenced to life in prison last month, he was making contact with his brother Michael to attack march participants.
To ensure the safety of the parade, authorities deployed 2.000 police officers along the route.
In 2015, Yishai Shlissel stabbed Shira Banki, a 16-year-old Israeli, and injured five other participants before being arrested.
This attack raised criticism about the ineffectiveness of the police department, which had released Shlissel just a few weeks earlier, after having a prison sentence revoked for injuring three other people in the 2005 Gay Parade.
To avoid further drama this year, the police decided to take drastic measures to ensure the safety of the thousands of participants expected in the parade.
All streets leading to the route were cordoned off with ropes hours before its start.
Additionally, organizers gave police a list of parade participants to allow them access. Unregistered people could also participate, but may be subject to stricter control.
Tom Canning, one of the organizers, declared himself satisfied with the measures adopted. "What happened last year was a serious blow to the police. This year, the police developed the security device at the highest level for three months," he told AFP.
In Jerusalem, a holy city for Jews, Muslims and Christians, the homosexual community has more difficulty being accepted than in Tel Aviv, considered a more tolerant city.
The ultra-Orthodox Jewish community, particularly large in Jerusalem, opposes the holding of this event, as many rabbis consider homosexuality to be a disease, at best, to a perversion that must be combated by all means.
