Incitement continues: The gay community in Pardes Hanna Karkur will demonstrate Monday evening following four incidents of burning pride towers that have occurred in the city in recent days. This was after the city council delayed to condemn the incidents.
This past week there were four separate incidents of burning pride flags in Pardes Hanna Karkur. Complaints have been filed with the police and the council has yet to condemn the cases. Today a vehicle with an illustration of a pride flag was vandalized, yesterday pride flags were burned in a café in the council and a pride flag planted by another neighbor to identify with the gay community.
A café where pride flags were vandalized,
Last Tuesday, a man broke into the yard of Annette and Moran, a couple of women from Pardes Hanna, and burned the rainbow flag in the yard that caught fire that almost spread to their home, until a neighbor recognized the fire and called for them to put it out.
Or Spitz is horrified
Annette, whose flag was set on fire, said: "As we were doing things in the yard, things started catching fire and luckily a neighbour passing by saw him, smuggled him away and called us to put out the fire. If my wife hadn't heard the neighbor's screams, we wouldn't have noticed at all until there was a serious, life-threatening fire."
Pride flags were vandalized at four different events in the city, Photo: LGBT Association
"Our daughters slept in their beds in the next room," Annette added. "The same man shouted that 'this is destroying the world', our love, the wonderful family we founded, 'is destroying the world'. It's a violent and harsh act of hatred, we're scared and confused."
After the council did not condemn the incidents, this evening at 18:00 p.m., members of the gay community and its supporters in Pardes Hanna Karkur will demonstrate in the council plaza against LGBT-phobia and for an equal and safe place for each and every member of the community and residents of the council.
A sign in Pardes Hanna following an incident of vandalizing a pride flag, photo: LGBT Association
Hila Pe'er, chairwoman of the Association for LGBT Rights, said: "The hate crimes against the LGBT community are the result of ongoing incitement and require a significant response of visibility in the public sphere. It is inconceivable that the mayor still refuses to condemn and address hate crimes directed against residents of the council. Our expectation is that the council will hang pride flags throughout the council and send a public message of tolerance and acceptance to everyone on the council, preferably one hour earlier."
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