Police Commissioner Roni Alsheikh held a preparatory tour on Monday morning of the upcoming Gay Pride Parade in Jerusalem scheduled to take place this Thursday.
"The Gay Pride Parade in Jerusalem is a complex event in terms of command and control and in terms of security, and the Israel Police have been thoroughly engaged in preparations for a long time," Alsheikh remarked.
In particular, Alsheikh made a stop at Jerusalem’s Liberty Bell Park, the usual starting point for Pride parades in recent years. At the park, Alsheikh was briefed on security preparations by Jerusalem district police officers headed by District Commander Yoram Halevi.
Subsequently, the police chief toured the parade route to ascertain the level of security around the marchers. During the tour that took place this morning, the commissioner was also presented with the security preparations for the gay pride parade programs that day.
"The role of the police in a democratic society is measured by its ability to allow all segments of the population and all the voices in society to exercise their freedom of expression,” Alsheikh said. “This is how we treat every issue and every sector.”
The police commissioner said the task was no easy one for the police.
"The need to allow every person to join the march on the one hand, and on the other hand the usage of legal means to distance those under suspicion of wanting to disturb the public order, poses a real challenge to the police forces," he added.
Alsheikh stressed the need to also be on the lookout for the continued threat of terror attacks.
"Beyond the possible attempts, heaven forbid, to harm the march and the marchers, it is important to remember the threats of terrorist activity and attempts to carry out terrorist attacks,” he said.