Thousands attend LGBT rallies in Jerusalem, other cities

Thousands of Israelis attend LGBT protest-rallies in four major cities across the country, in lieu of annual pride parades that were cancelled this year due to the coronavirus.

The demonstrations in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Haifa and Beersheba represent the peak of a month of events marking Pride that were organized by the Aguda Association for LGBTQ Equality in Israel under the theme, “the revolution is not yet complete.”

Arguably the most highly anticipated of the protest rallies took place in Jerusalem, where the lead-up to the demonstration included arrests of large numbers of far-right activists as well as a spat between the gathering’s organizers and the municipality over hanging up pride flags throughout the city to mark the occasion.

Numerous people who arrived at the Jerusalem event were turned away by police, who said it was at full capacity.