Participants march during the annual pride parade in Jerusalem, downtown, on June 5, 2025. (Credit: AFP/Ahmad Gharabli.
BEIRUT — Large rainbow flags filled the streets of Jerusalem, and upon closer look, many had a Star of David behind the multicolored stripes: in a friendly atmosphere, thousands of people joined the pride march in this conservative city.
They marched under heavy police surveillance, ten years after the murder of a teenage girl, killed by an extremist Jew while she was participating in this demonstration, according to AFP journalists.
On July 30, 2015, Shira Banki, 15, was fatally stabbed during the parade by a religious man, who also injured six other people. The police have since been heavily deployed for subsequent editions.
The assailant had been released from prison a few weeks before this attack, after serving a sentence for already injuring three people at the 2005 pride march. He was sentenced to life in prison.
For the first time, Israel's President Isaac Herzog participated in this pride march.
Accompanied by his wife, he visited the site of the assassination and paid tribute to the teenager's parents, who founded an association promoting dialogue.
"I call on all the people of Israel to show restraint, love, and compassion," Herzog declared, "we are all destined to live together – this is our mission, and perhaps also the message of our dear Shira."
Many opposition figures joined the parade, including centrist Yair Lapid.
"We are the hope," read a sign, while many demonstrators wore yellow ribbons, symbolizing support for people taken hostage in Israel during the unprecedented Hamas attack on October 7, with 55 still being held in the Gaza Strip.
A scuffle erupted between police and participants displaying anti-war signs, according to activists on the scene.
Members of the diplomatic corps, particularly the ambassadors of France and Germany, also participated in the parade.
Jerusalem has organized this annual celebration of LGBT+ rights since 2002, which is often accompanied by protests from far-right groups.
Several dozen protesters against the march had gathered along the route, an AFP journalist reported.