• The leader of the far-right “Lehava” organization has called for a counter-protest march to coincide with the Jerusalem Pride Parade on June 5.
• Demonstrators are slated to gather at the Begin Heritage Center in Jerusalem at 16:00 (local time) before marching to Liberty Bell Park, where the Pride Parade participants are slated to begin a march to Independence Park.
• Organizers stated in their announcement that they had “police permission” to protest.

1. FORECAST: Based on precedent, the Lehava demonstration is expected to attract a turnout in the high dozens. Tensions between supporters and opponents of the Pride Parade are likely to be heightened, especially given the current polarized political environment. Counter-protesters will likely chant slogans denouncing the Pride Parade. While low, there remains an underlying risk of violence by anti-LGBT protesters.
2. A significant deployment of security personnel is likely in the vicinity of the Pride Parade and the counter-protest to prevent clashes between the two sides. Security forces may detain participants behaving in an unruly manner, though scuffles cannot be ruled out.

Those operating or residing in Jerusalem during the afternoon hours of June 5 are advised to broadly maintain heightened vigilance in the vicinity of the Pride Parade due to the potential for localized, isolated instances of violence between participants and anti-LGBT protesters.