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Olmert: Haredim have right to oppose parade
(VIDEO) Prime minister says protest against pride parade legitimate, claims organizers of event were 'provocative.' Jerusalem Mayor Lupolianski calls for cancellation of parade, 'for all our sake'
Neta Sela
VIDEO - The police arrested 28 protesters in the course of haredi riots across Jerusalem Monday evening.
The protest against the pride parade has spread throughout the capital, and policemen were forced to deal with torched trash cans, blocked streets, and many violent rioters.
| | Riots in ultra-Orthodox neighborhoods (Video: Studio Edi Boy) |
Violent incidents have also been registered in the towns of Beit Shemesh and Hadera.
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Attorney general Menachem Mazuz is set to submit to the High Court of Justice Tuesday his response to the haredi appeal calling for cancelling the parade, despite an agreement on an alternative route for the parade that was reached between gay representatives and the police.
Parade organizers and the police are also expected to decide Tuesday on the date and time for the event.
In the midst of all this turbulence, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert responded Monday for the first time to the violent riots. In an interview on Channel 2, the PM said, "There's no doubt that the way in which the parade was presented by the organizers was provocative in nature. The organizers said so too. On the other hand, democracy grants the right to provocation. The haredim also have the right to oppose the issue, as they did."
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The PM added that the question whether or not the parade should be held must depend on the police's recommendation.
Jerusalem Mayor Uri Lupolianski also made his first public statement regarding the parade Monday, and compared it to the request by Jews to enter the Temple Mount.
"The demand to hold the parade in Jerusalem of all places is not only unjust, but also unwise. The decision to hold it in the holy city and the capital of the Jewish people, and not in another city, did not stem from ignorance, it is a deliberate decision. The organizers of the parade knew that only in Jerusalem can such a parade make headlines, but also stir so much anger and pain and cause unnecessary hatred and riots."
According to Lupolianski, "This is a storm that provides the organizers of the parade with unprecedented media exposure, but it is the residents of the city that will have to pay the price for interrupting the fine balance. This is a painful issue of principle, and therefore it doesn't matter where in town the parade is held."
"Like in the past, I shall continue to fight any incident of incitement or violence, and I strongly condemn it. I have also been exposed to violent towards me, but I will not bow down. Damaging property, verbal, and, God forbid, physical violence should be denounced and only undermine the legitimate protest," he stated.
"Protest yes, violence no," he continued, adding that "now is the time to show true tolerance and maturity and call off the parade in the heart of the city, for all our sakes. Such a decision will reinforce the recognition and mutual understanding that prevails among the town's residents," he concluded.
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