Haredim warn over gay pride event

Israel Police approved a gay pride event in Jerusalem. The go-ahead for the event June 21 sets up a possibly violent confrontation between gay activists and fervently Orthodox Jews, who warned the Jerusalem police last week that they would not tolerate another gay pride event in the city.Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said the event would be either a parade or a gathering.Opponents of the gay pride event say open displays of homosexuality have no place in the city that is holy to Jews, Christians and Muslims.Last year, fervently Orthodox Jews, or haredim, rioted for more than a week after police approved a march in the center of the city. Eventually police confined the event to a soccer stadium to prevent clashes. An earlier march in Jerusalem resulted in violence when a protester stabbed three of the marchers in downtown Jerusalem.