Police get restraining orders to ban 'dangerous people' from LGBT parade
Authorities say that “the Israel Police is working in accordance with the law in order to prevent any harm to human life and to preserve the public order."
By BEN HARTMANUpdated: JUNE 2, 2016 08:56Gay Pride 2015(photo credit: GUY YEHIELI)
The Tel Aviv Police on Wednesday secured a number of restraining orders against people who they suspect may try to commit acts of violence to disrupt the LGBT pride parade in the city on Friday.A spokesman for the district said that the number of restraining orders was less than 10, and that the people in question are from across Israel and have made statements or taken part in activities in the past that have raised suspicion that they may be a threat to the event and participants.In a statement, the district said Wednesday that “the Israel Police is working in accordance with the law in order to prevent any harm to human life and to preserve the public order and safety of participants, and to apply lessons learned in previous events.”Though the statement doesn’t explicitly mention which previous events, it almost certainly refers to the 2015 Jerusalem LGBT parade on July 30th, during which Yishai Schlissel stabbed several people, including 16-year-old Shira Banki, who later died of her wounds.To make matters worse, Schlissel was well known to police because he had only weeks earlier finished serving 10 years in prison for stabbing several people at the 2005 Jerusalem LGBT parade. A police inquiry set up after the incident suggested removing 7 police officers from their posts due to the failure.Tel Aviv police on Wednesday also called on the public to exercise caution during the parade, and to be on the lookout for suspicious people, packages, and vehicles, and to report anything threatening to the police. They also advised people participating in the parade to lock their houses and secure valuables, and to avoid mentioning on social media that they would not be at home.