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Catholic World News News Feature

Jerusalem gay-pride rally restricted: no parade November 10, 2006

A gay-rights rally was staged in Jerusalem on November 10, despite loud protests from local religious leaders. But government officials, citing security concerns, restricted the rally to a soccer stadium, rather than allowing demonstrators to march through the city.

Israeli police said that they could not guarantee the safety of demonstrators if homosexual activists proceeded as planned with a gay-pride march through Jerusalem. Pointing to this week's violence in the Gaza Strip, and the possibility of terrorist reprisals, authorities directed the homosexual militants to the stadium at Givat Ram University, well away from the center of the city.

An estimated 4,000 gay-rights activists attended the rally, while a nearly equal number of police patrolled the streets leading to the stadium. At least 20 arrests were made, as militant homosexuals clashed with police and with counter-protestors.

Orthodox Jewish leaders had asked city officials not to allow the gay-pride parade. In a statement released on November 8 the Vatican added its voice, saying that the march would be an "affront to the sentiments" of religious believers, and raising concerns about desecration of the holy places in Jerusalem during the event.