Jerusalem police brace for Thursday’s Pride Parade, prepare for possible violence

Jerusalem Police, already deployed to deal with tensions and violence over the Temple Mount and the mass prayers expected on Tisha B’Av on Monday and Tuesday, are bracing for the Pride Parade in the holy city slated for Thursday.

The parade draws large crowds as it marches through the city center each year, and has been a target in the past for extremist anti-gay violence.

Channel 2 reports that over 1,000 officers will be deployed along the route of the parade this year to protect against violence. Officers also contacted as many as 50 known extremists and anti-gay activists in order to warn them that police would act strictly against any violence or disorderly conduct by anti-parade protesters.

Police plan to track known anti-gay extremists starting on Thursday morning, Channel 2 reports, and have visited homes of residents along the route as part of the preparations for the event.