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Orthodox Jew attacks gay march

Tensions are high in Jerusalem between religious groups and gay advocates. Here they mourn the stabbings. Photo: Getty

Tensions are high in Jerusalem between religious groups and gay advocates. Here they mourn the stabbings. Photo: Getty

An ultra-Orthodox Jew has stabbed six gay pride marchers in Jerusalem, after serving 10 years in jail for a similar attack in 2005.

Yishai Shissel went free from prison three weeks ago for a 2005 attack where he injured three marchers.

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The Magen David Adom, the Jewish equivalent of the Red Cross, said two of Thursday’s casualties were in a serious condition.

Tensions are high in Jerusalem between religious groups and gay advocates. Here they mourn the stabbings. Photo: Getty

Tensions are high in Jerusalem between religious groups and gay advocates. Here they mourn the stabbings. Photo: Getty

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu swiftly condemned the attack as a “very serious incident”.

“The state of Israel respects the private freedom of individuals which is a fundamental principle exercised in this country,” he said in a statement.

“We must ensure that every man and every woman can live in full security in any way that they choose.”

Participants continued the march after the assailant was arrested. Hundreds of police were already present to prevent violence in the highly conservative city.

Gay rights group leader Oded Fried told Reuters the marchers would not be deterred.

“Our struggle for equality only intensifies in the face of such events,” he said.

In past years, ultra-Orthodox protestors have turned out at the march to denounce what they consider the “abomination” of homosexuality.

Organisers of the annual march avoid ultra-Orthodox sectors of the city to try and prevent incidents.

Israel’s homosexual community was plunged into grief in 2009 when a gunman attacked a centre for young gays in Tel Aviv killing two people and wounding 15 others.

That assailant has never been caught.

Israel is widely seen as having liberal gay rights policies, despite the ultra-Orthodox hostility towards homosexuals, particularly men.

The Jewish state repealed a ban on consensual same-sex sexual acts in 1988.

– with ABC

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