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About 4,000 gay men, lesbians and civil rights supporters gathered today at the Hebrew University stadium for Jerusalem Pride. Security was tight in the city with 3,000 Israeli police drafted in to stop clashes between the demonstrators and orthodox Jews.

The participants were allowed to party but not march. About 30 gay protesters who tried to march illegally through the city where arrested by Israeli police.

The proposed march was cancelled by Israeli police on Thursday after Palestinian threats to strike in Israel after the shelling in Gaza in which 18 Palestinian civilians were killed. Event organisers agreed to move the event to the stadium after Israeli police said they needed to divert forces to deal with the security threat.

Ultra-orthodox Jews clashed with Israeli police earlier this week after calling for the march to be cancelled saying it defiled the holy city.

The proposed march was also criticised by the Muslim and Christian religious communities.

The Vatican called for it to be scrapped for fear of offending “the sensibilities of religious communities”.

Story via the BBC.

Photo from Harryu’s Flickr photostream.