Gay march in Israeli city cancelled after court restricts it

JERUSALEM – Gay activists have cancelled what was to be the first gay pride march in the Israeli city of Beersheba after Israel’s Supreme Court restricted the event’s route due to concerns of violence.

Organizers sought to march down a main thoroughfare in the city on Thursday but the court said police intelligence assessments indicated the possibility of violence. It said there could be life-threatening violence against participants, and also that participants could contribute to violence in an effort to defend themselves.

The court suggested the participants march along an alternative route but organizers declined, saying that would “hide” them.

Organizers instead say they will hold a protest rally in the city later on Thursday.

Last year, an ultra-Orthodox Jew fatally stabbed a teenage girl at a gay pride march in Jerusalem.