AFP
A Gay Pride marked with solemnity in Jerusalem, against the backdrop of the war in Gaza
Rainbows and yellow ribbons mingled Thursday during the Pride March in Jerusalem, where participants defended gay rights but also demanded the release of hostages held in Gaza, in a less festive atmosphere than others. habit.At the head of the march, which brought together several thousand people, relatives of the hostages and the French ambassador to Israel, Frédéric Journès, carried a banner on which was written “Born to be free” (Born to be free). free, in English), displaying the colors of the LGBTQ rainbow and a yellow ribbon, a symbol of support for the hostage families. “It’s sadder than usual,” he told AFP. Shlomo Gedzel, a 23-year-old biology student. “It doesn’t look like a party, there’s no music, there are signs for the hostages everywhere and people are generally more depressed,” he said. -he noted. “Everyone (free) now!” and “We are here, we are everywhere!”, chanted the demonstrators. Omnipresent in Jerusalem for almost eight months, the theme of war has even found its way into the slogans for LGBTQ rights. Next to a banner advocating “We are here, we are everywhere!” Peace, Equality, Liberty”, some wore T-shirts in the colors of the rainbow flag with the word “NOW” evoking the release of the hostages. “We want to be equal without being dead!”, they also chanted . They were referring to an amendment passed in November allowing spouses of soldiers killed in combat to receive a widow’s allowance, which was previously impossible for LGBTQ partners who cannot marry in Israel, although marriages contracted there foreigners be recognized. The slogan recalls the fate of soldier Sagi Golan, killed on October 7 during the unprecedented attack carried out by the Islamist movement Hamas against Israel, which sparked the war. The attack resulted in the deaths of more than of 1,189 people in Israel, mostly civilians, according to a count carried out by AFP based on the latest official figures available. Sagi Golan died fighting against Hamas fighters a week before the planned celebration of his “wedding”. His husband, Omer Ohana, was not initially recognized as a widower due to their single status, although they had lived together for six years. Of the 252 people taken as hostages during the attack, 121 are still being held at Gaza, of whom 37 died according to the army. The Israeli response has so far left 36,171 dead in the Gaza Strip, according to the Hamas administration’s Ministry of Health. – “No pride in the war” -During Gay Pride in Jerusalem, Sagi Golan’s father, Gilad, told AFP that Sagi and Omer had not felt any discrimination during their ten-year relationship, until Golan’s death. Sagi.Omer fought for the amendment and won, and “now there is equality after death. We want equality in life,” said Gilad. Many of the participants were dressed in black and held banners proclaiming “No pride in war”, and again “There are gays in Gaza”. Yasha Marmer, 38, carried a sign with the inscription: “No one is free until everyone is free”, an old slogan which, according to him, takes on particular meaning in the context of the war in Gaza. We are also here to demand an agreement to exchange all hostages as part of an immediate comprehensive ceasefire,” he said, adding that Palestinians held in Israeli prisons should also be released. .lba/jd/cn/sg
