Post by Watchman on Nov 7, 2006 20:03:12 GMT -5
High Court: Jerusalem's gay pride parade to be held November 10
By Itim
Jerusalem's gay pride parade will take place on November 10, a High Court panel ruled Monday.
The panel was headed by Supreme Court President Dorit Beinisch and also included Justices Dvorah Berliner and Miriam Naor.
The parade, which had been set for early August, was postponed due to the Lebanon war.
The organization planning the parade, Open House, suggested to police six dates for the parade, all of them before Rosh Hashana. Police did not respond to its petitions, effectively supplying a "negative response de facto" according to the group.
Open House then petitioned police to force it to provide security for the parade, and the City of Jerusalem to advertise it in road signs at the city's entrance and on the city's website.
The petition also included a provision for letting marchers use the city seal in promoting the parade.
The petitioners also claimed the idea of a parade is anchored in legal rights such as freedom of expression, the principle of equality, and freedom of assembly.
They also accused the city and Mayor Uri Lupolianski of not acting in good faith, and of creating an atmosphere of hostility, incitement and threats towards the gay community.
Lupolianski has said in the past that such a parade in Jerusalem was comparable to "a pig's head on Al-Aqsa [mosque]" and that homosexuals are "deviants."
Jerusalem Police claimed in response that considering their increased deployment for the holiday season, they are currently unable to provide security for another major event.
A compromise was subsequently reached between the two sides, by which the parade would take place after the holidays, on November 10, and police would provide security.
The Supreme Court panel ruled in favor of the compromise, and Open House Chairwoman Noa Satat welcomed the arrangement.
She called it "an achievement in advancing freedom of speech and equality for members of the community, and in the interest of a pluralistic and democratic Israel."
The parade, in which some 5,000 people are expected to march, will begin in the city's Independence Park, run through Agron Street and French Square, and end at Bell Garden.
By Itim
Jerusalem's gay pride parade will take place on November 10, a High Court panel ruled Monday.
The panel was headed by Supreme Court President Dorit Beinisch and also included Justices Dvorah Berliner and Miriam Naor.
The parade, which had been set for early August, was postponed due to the Lebanon war.
The organization planning the parade, Open House, suggested to police six dates for the parade, all of them before Rosh Hashana. Police did not respond to its petitions, effectively supplying a "negative response de facto" according to the group.
Open House then petitioned police to force it to provide security for the parade, and the City of Jerusalem to advertise it in road signs at the city's entrance and on the city's website.
The petition also included a provision for letting marchers use the city seal in promoting the parade.
The petitioners also claimed the idea of a parade is anchored in legal rights such as freedom of expression, the principle of equality, and freedom of assembly.
They also accused the city and Mayor Uri Lupolianski of not acting in good faith, and of creating an atmosphere of hostility, incitement and threats towards the gay community.
Lupolianski has said in the past that such a parade in Jerusalem was comparable to "a pig's head on Al-Aqsa [mosque]" and that homosexuals are "deviants."
Jerusalem Police claimed in response that considering their increased deployment for the holiday season, they are currently unable to provide security for another major event.
A compromise was subsequently reached between the two sides, by which the parade would take place after the holidays, on November 10, and police would provide security.
The Supreme Court panel ruled in favor of the compromise, and Open House Chairwoman Noa Satat welcomed the arrangement.
She called it "an achievement in advancing freedom of speech and equality for members of the community, and in the interest of a pluralistic and democratic Israel."
The parade, in which some 5,000 people are expected to march, will begin in the city's Independence Park, run through Agron Street and French Square, and end at Bell Garden.