Jewish groups mobilising to stop Jerusalem's Gay Pride parade
Jerusalem (AsiaNews) Haredi groups and the Yesha council are planning to stop Jerusalem's Gay pride celebrations scheduled for November 10, or prepare counter demonstrations should that fail.
United Torah Judaism Knesset Member Meir Porush told Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth there are plans to bring out as many as 250,000 people to protest against the Gay Pride Parade along King George Street.
The Kahane Chai movement announced it is planning a counter march from the Western Wall to the Garden of Independence.
Other religious organisations have recruited settler youths, Yesha activists and even Arabs to do something to stop the parade, including demonstrations and road blocks.
Jerusalem police had tried to prevent organisers from holding the parade in the Holy City but the High Court ruled that the parade be allowed. Still the police is allowed to postpone or cancel the parade over security concerns.
Yesterday, the Yesha council said it will bring 70,000 protesters to the capital on November 10 for a counter demonstration.
In July Israel's chief Sephardic rabbi, Shlomo Amar, had called on Benedict XVI for help to stop Gay pride celebrations in Jerusalem.
In his letter, Rabbi Amar had said such an event would "violate and humiliate" the Holy City.
Israel's chief Ashkenazi rabbi, Yona Metzger, had also demanded that the "parade in the Holy City of Jerusalem be cancelled."
In recent days, survey results released during a meeting of the Knesset's Internal Affairs Committee indicated that among secular Jews, 63 per cent oppose the parade; 81 per cent of conservative Jews are opposed, 99 per cent of National Religious are opposed; 100 per cent of Orthodox are opposed; and 92 per cent of Arab Muslims and Christians are opposed.
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