Tens of thousands in Israel gay parade

Tens of thousands of people have marched in a gay pride parade in Tel Aviv, Israel with hundreds of police on hand to guarantee security for the event.

Tens of thousands of people have turned out for a pride parade in Tel Aviv in support of the LGBTQ community.

“We have all earned the right to raise our voices, to come here and say that after the long journey we have travelled, there is still much to do,” Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai told the crowd, according to Israeli media outlet ynet.

“I promise you that we will not give up and that we will continue to fight until we see full equality in the state of Israel,” he added.

Participants moved through downtown Tel Aviv before reaching the beach, where 2018 Eurovision winner Netta Barzilai was expected to perform.

The parade’s “pride ambassador” was US comedian Neil Patrick Harris, famous for his role in the television show How I Met Your Mother.

Hundreds of police were on hand to guarantee security for the event, though there were no reports of any incidents.

Read the article by Stefanie Jaerke (Deutsche Presse Agentur) in the Mercury and The Canberra Times.