12 arrested during Jerusalem Pride amid fears of attack
(Photo by GALI TIBBON/AFP/Getty Images)
12 people have been arrested during Jerusalem Pride amid threats of attacks.
The group were detained on suspicion that they had the intent to disrupt the Pride festivities.
(Photo by GALI TIBBON/AFP/Getty Images)
One person was found to be in possession of a knife.
The parade was under tight security as a far-right group protested nearby.
Despite the threat of attack, thousands of people lined the streets of Israel’s capital to celebrate the Pride.
Tel Aviv, another major city in the country, recently held their Pride celebrations and an estimated 200,000 people joined.
Last year thousands of people attended the Pride event in Jerusalem despite fears of a repeated attack.
In 2015, the parade was stopped after Shira Banki was violently murdered in a knife attack carried out by anti-gay religious extremist Yishai Schlissel.
A survivor of the attack – which saw six others wounded – said that he was scared the attack may be repeated but that the city’s LGBT community will “not give into terror.”
“I’m scared to death but the message I want this march to relay is to not give in to terror,” Yarden Noy told Army Radio.
Schlissel, who had just been released from prison over a previous attack on the very same parade, was jailed for life plus 31 years for the attack.
Banki’s parents continued to campaign in her memory.
A hate crime centre was opened in memory of Banki.
Jerusalem square was also renamed after her.
