'Deadly Thursday': Far-right activists threaten Jerusalem Pride March

A series of threats were issued by far-right individuals against the Jerusalem Pride and Tolerance March, set to take place on Thursday afternoon, throughout the week leading up to the event in the nation's capital.

On Monday, the far-right Lehava organization called on supporters of the organization to join a protest against the march, stating "Jerusalem is not Sodom!" The protest takes place at Blumfield Garden across from the entrance to the Liberty Bell Park, where the Pride and Tolerance march begins.

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A joint investigation by N12 and the FakeReporter initiative found that individuals in a number of right-wing WhatsApp and Telegram groups had made threatening statements against the march.

One individual in a group called "Jews won't stay silent" shared an advertisement for the Lehava protest, adding a message reading "the deadly Thursday." FakeReporter found that the individual is a man named Michael Ishakov who has been arrested in the past for calling for the massacre of anti-judicial reform protesters.

Another individual in a group called "The nation demands judicial reform" wrote "Amen, may fire fall from the sky and burn all the goyim (gentiles) at this march."

Lehava claimed that the "left-wing media" was "working to sully and lie about" the movement and the protest.

At least one individual has been arrested ahead of the march because of threats he made. The man has since been released with a restraining order distancing from all Pride events.

March to serve as demonstration of liberal values and pluralism

In light of the protests against the government and the judicial reform, the march will serve as a demonstration of liberal values and pluralism, with the Jerusalem Open House for Pride and Tolerance stating it intends to hold it as "an event for everyone."

The march will be star-studded this year, with artists such as Ran Danker, Ivri Lider, Shahar Tavoch, Roni Duani, Etty Biton and Rinat Bar starring on the main stage and MKs Yair Lapid, Benny Gantz and Meirav Michaeli participating in the opening ceremony.

Neria Kraus, a journalist with Channel 13 news, and Eran Swissa, a journalist with Israel Hayom, will host the main stage. Drag artist Uriel Yekutiel will host the opening ceremony.

The event will begin at 3 p.m. with the opening of the gates for the opening event at Liberty Bell Park. At approximately 5 p.m., the Pride march will set out from the park up Keren Hayesod Street, continuing to Paris Square and King George Street, before turning on Hillel Street and heading to Independence Park, where the closing event will take place.

Volunteers from the "Mothers Against Violence" group will be present throughout the city center in order to prevent LGBT-phobic acts in the hours after the march.

The volunteers will be wearing yellow vests with the Hebrew word "Ima" (Hebrew for mother) and Pride flags. Anyone who encounters an LGBT-phobic incident can report it to the Nir Katz Center, which collects data on LGBT-phobia.

"Precisely this year and more than ever - we are here to stay, in Jerusalem and in Israel there is and will be a place for everyone, including LGBT people. There is room for everyone in the Jerusalem Pride and Tolerance Parade and we are calling from here, from Jerusalem, to everyone who values tolerance, pluralism and democracy, to march with us in the beautiful streets of Jerusalem," said Alon Shachar, CEO of the Jerusalem Open House.

Yonatan Welfer, the chairman of the Jerusalem Open House, stated "In days when the Israeli public is torn, and many groups are afraid and feel that the ground they stand on is unstable, the Pride and Tolerance March in Jerusalem is a demonstration of strength, of love, of pride."

"In the last year, many achievements of the LGBT community are in danger, and the public atmosphere is already leading to an increase in cases of violence against members of the LGBT community," said Welfer. "The parade, precisely because it is in Jerusalem, is a symbol of the importance of freedom of expression, of the fight for equality before the law, of the right of each and every one to live in security and to be proud of who he or she is. This parade is for everyone who believes in democratic and liberal values, for everyone who cares about having an equal place here for everyone."

In December, Noam party head Avi Maoz, a member of the coalition headed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and a deputy minister in the Prime Minister's Office, told the Olam Katan Shabbat pamphlet that he would “see to it” that the march is canceled. The Jerusalem Open House responded by launching a charity fund in honor of Maoz, dedicated to "strengthening the visibility of the LGBTQ+ community in Jerusalem - in a parade, in the media, and in any way we can think of!"

The Open House set up a page on their website to donate to the fund, adding that they would update Maoz when donations were made with a personal thank you letter. Within less than a month, the fund raised over NIS 100,000. Thanking Maoz for his help in raising the funds, the Open House sent a letter to the MK inviting him to the event in late December.