The group that was organizing the World Pride event in Jerusalem is asking the High Court of Justice there to force the police to issue a permit. They already had to cancel the event once because of the outbreak of hostilities with Lebanon a few weeks ago. They had applied for a date of September 21st, but the city said they would not have the manpower to police the event that day because it is the day before the start of the high holidays.
he police force suggested, however, that if Open House selected another date a permit might be granted.
Last week Open House, the LGBT Community Center in Jerusalem , offered six alternative dates. So far there has been no reply from the police.
In papers filed with the court on Sunday, Open House accuses the police of stonewalling and of capitulating to extremists who have threatened to disrupt the march.
The city has not been obstructionist in the past, repeatedly refusing demands from the right wing in Israel to refuse to allow the event to take place. Let's hope they don't become a problem now.
The lousy thing here is the fact that everybody knows that any attempt to hold a religous or right wing demonstration on the same date would have been granted.
It's just that the Israeli police has a long time tendency of looking for the easy way. The simple idea that people threatening with violence are the problem, and not the subject of their threats, has yet to make its way into the commanding ranks. The fact that the police are homophobic (in deeds) is probably a big part of this also.
It is strange, however, that the municipal gov't is not being problematic, since this mayor has already been sued by the Open House on issues of equal funding, and it was clear then that his objections were religious in nature. Maybe he's learning.