Over 20,000 participants marched in Jerusalem’s LGBT pride parade on Thursday afternoon, with security at an all time high.
The parade was under heavy police protection; three years ago a deadly knife attack by an ultra-Orthodox zealot killed 16-year-old marcher Shira Banki. 2,500 police officers, including border police and plainclothes cops, were deployed in the capital to protect the event.
Some of the marchers carried signs protesting against a surrogacy law passed last month by the Israeli government that excluded gay men.
Despite the heavy police presence, the crowd of mostly young Israelis were reported to appear relaxed and upbeat during the parade.
Tel Aviv’s Pride Parade – the biggest in the region – was celebrated in June and attended by over 250,000.
