Tens of thousands of Israelis took part in a gay pride parade in Jerusalem under increased police surveillance to protest the appointment of ministers hostile to the LGBT community.

"Faced with the most homophobic government in history, we must fight against the deprivation of our rights and fight for equality for all," said Yorai Lahav-Herzano, an openly homosexual centrist lawmaker taking part in the march.

About 30,000 people took part in the march, which organizers say is a record since 2016.

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The parade has been held in Jerusalem since 2002, but it is now being held for the first time since the formation of the government of Benjamin Netanyahu, one of the most right-wing in the country's history and involving anti-LGBT ministers, at a time when Israel is considered the best country in the Middle East in terms of respecting LGBT rights.

National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir was one of the organizers of the "animal parade" in Jerusalem in 2006, during which religious opponents of the gay pride parade marched through the city with donkeys, comparing homosexuals to animals.

"It is the responsibility of the police to protect and ensure that even if a minister has a problem with the march, the most important thing is the safety of the participants," he said in a statement. He visited the site of the march today, while members of the opposition participated in it.

"It is particularly important (to participate) this year because it is the minister in charge of our security, Ben-Gvir, who has been protesting against us for years, calling us animals," said Oshrith Assaf, 28, who came with her partner.

Jerusalem is a holy city for Jews, Christians and Muslims, but LGBT people complain that they are not well received by the population. According to police, about 2000,<> officers were mobilized and three people suspected of "making threats to the march" were arrested before the parade.

Participants in a small counter-demonstration, who were separated from the gay pride parade by a police cordon, carried placards such as "No" to the procession of perversion.

gay parade

Jerusalem