Thousands join Jerusalem Pride march in call for LGBT rights

Thousands of people marched through Jerusalem on Thursday in the annual Pride parade, celebrating LGBTQ rights in the conservative city amid heavy police security. Pride events in Jerusalem, which is home to a large ultra-Orthodox Jewish community, tend to be less raucous than those in more liberal Tel Aviv. A radical ultra-Orthodox Jew stabbed a 16-year-old girl to death at a Pride event in 2015, an attack that was condemned across the political spectrum. Only a few dozen people turned out to protest the parade this year, and were largely drowned out by the blaring music. “I think we are getting better and better,” said one of the marchers, Fabio Abulafiya, while acknowledging that more needed to be done. “It is very important to come to parades like this, not only to party… but also to protest for our rights.”