In verification: Gay Pride Parade in Tel Aviv (Photo: Roni Knafo)
Unusually, the Tel Aviv municipality decided this year not to allow politicians' speeches at the gay pride parade that will take place in the city this coming Thursday and Friday, Walla has learned. This is despite the fact that at all gay pride parades in Tel Aviv in recent years, senior political figures have spoken. The only politician who will speak at the parade is Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai, who is running for a sixth term in office in elections to be held at the end of October.
The Gay Pride Parade in Tel Aviv is the main event of the gay community to mark Pride Month in Israel, attended by hundreds of thousands of people, and since 2007 it has been produced and funded mostly by the municipality. Traditionally, politicians and public figures participated and spoke at the parade's launching event: in recent years, the leaders of the center-left parties have given speeches at the opening of the parade, while the mayor of Tel Aviv also traditionally speaks on the main stage at the closing party alongside Meital Lehavi, the holder of the gay community portfolio in the municipality.
Ron Huldai's speech at the Gay Pride Parade. Archive (Photo: Reuven Castro)
Last year, for example, Yesh Atid Chairman Yair Lapid, Labor Party Chairman Merav Michaeli and Social Equality Minister Merav Cohen spoke at the opening of the parade. Michaeli also spoke at the Gay Pride Parade in 2021 alongside then-Meretz Chairman Nitzan Horowitz. In previous years, former Meretz Chairman Tamar Zandberg, former Labor Party Chairman Shelly Yachimovich, and gay Knesset members such as Itzik Shmuli, Eitan Ginzburg, Idan Roll and Jurai Lahav Herzeno have spoken. In addition, the leaders of the center-left parties spoke last week at the Gay Pride Parade in Jerusalem.
This year, the Tel Aviv municipality changed the format of the gay pride parade - it was split into two parts and will take place over two days, the launch event will be held without politicians' speeches. Sources in the political establishment criticized the decision, claiming that it was "an irrelevant political decision and exploiting the parade for Huldai's municipal campaign."
The Tel Aviv municipality said in response: "According to police instructions, for safety reasons, no starting station will be set up at the gay pride parade this year, and therefore, unlike in previous years, there will be no speeches at all, neither by the mayor nor by other speakers. It should be clarified that from the party stage, on which the artistic content is presented, no speeches were ever held. It should be noted that this year's pride events, headed by the Pride Parade and Pride Party, which take place with a huge municipal investment, are expected to have an unprecedented number of participants."
- news
- Political-Political
Tags
- pride parade
- Ron Huldai
- Tel Aviv-Yafo
