Gay pride parades slated to be held across Israel next month have been cancelled as a result of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, organizers announced Sunday.
The four pride groups responsible for organizing the largest annual pride parades - in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Haifa, and Beer Sheva – announced Sunday morning that the events, which are held every year in June, have been cancelled.
The largest of the events, the Tel Aviv parade, was set for June 12th.
“It is clear that the marches which we have held every year since the first one in Tel Aviv in 1998 draw huge crowds, and holding them could pose a danger to participants,” said Etai Pinkas, a member of the Tel Aviv city council and LGBT activist.
Organizers said online events would be held in place of the parades, and expressed hope that the parades could be rescheduled for later in the year, perhaps in the late summer.