Jerusalem Gay Pride

World Pride was scheduled to be here last August, but they postponed it a year because of the pullout from Gaza. It has been going on this week, though quietly. You occassionally see the stereotypical white lesbian couple with their African American children, but that is the only hint that pride is afoot.

There was supposed to be a march. The police nixed it because they said it was too much to handle security-wise with the war going on up north (and in Gaza, though people keep forgetting that). So the organizers asked to have a "protest watch." The police nixed that too, even though they allowed a protest last week because of the anniversary of Gaza disengagement and even though they agreed to allow a protest of the "protest watch" that they were not allowing to happen.

The protest happened anyway.

I had heard it was going to happen tonight at Liberty Bell Park, but I had no idea where that was (and we aren't allowed to go to such things anyway because crowds are targets). But as I was driving home, I happened to pass it (so THAT'S what that park is called!). According to jpost.com, there were about 200 protestors and the police didn't break it up. It only got violent when some anarchists decided to join in (aren't they supposed to be in Seattle?). But in all, it was a successful protest, and the haredi (the ultra orthodox) didn't have a counter protest.

It was nice seeing the rainbows.