Minister responds to demonstrators who booed him at Jerusalem Pride march

6 June 2019, 8:03 pm

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Justice Minister Amir Ohana, Israel’s first openly gay minister, puts out a video statement responding to demonstrators who booed him at the Jerusalem Gay Pride parade today.

“The Jerusalem [pride] march is very important to me because Jerusalem is the capital of Israel and the seat of government and legal institutions. As a liberal who believes with all his heart in freedom of expression, I said to the group of protesters who demonstrated against me — [who] weren’t ultra-Orthodox or religious — it is important they came here,” Ohana says.

“I hope this doesn’t overshadow the main message meant to come out of this event: It doesn’t matter if you’re religious or secular, left-wing or right-wing, LGBT or no, the message is one of tolerance.”