It does not matter whether you are religious, secular, rightist, leftist, LGBT or not - the message is a message of tolerance. "
Police said that 10,000 people attended the Jerusalem event. Some 2,500 policeman, border police and undercover police were called in to secure the route and venue of the parade, which started at 3 p.m. on Thursday.Counter-protests against the parade were expected to take place nearby - opposite the entrance to Liberty Bell Park, where the event kicked off, and at Paris Square. About 300 people allegedly attended to join in those protests, which were monitored by police units.Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld told The Jerusalem Post earlier this week that security around the parade has been increased since the 2015 stabbing at the event in which 16-year-old Shira Banki was murdered by an ultra-Orthodox protester who went on a stabbing rampage. Five other people were wounded in that attack.Police arrested right-wing activist Moshiko Ben Zikri on Wednesday night during an anti-Pride parade rally.
During the past two Pride parades, Zikri snuck into the Pride parade under the guise that he was part of the LGBTQ community, only to later rant against the parade once he made his way to the podium.
“The State of Israel is not Iran and it is the right of every person to demonstrate in front of the Gay Pride Parade - even if the police do not like it,” Zikri’s lawyer Itamar Ben-Gvir said after the arrest. “This is a dictatorial detention whose purpose is to shut people up in a way that is reminiscent of the dark ages.” Maayan Jaffe-Hoffman and Jerusalem Post Staff contributed to this report.