Gay Youth Club Attacked in Israel

[Guest ryan2552]

This is so sad and makes me very angry:

 

Israeli police say a gunman entered a youth club for gay teens in central Tel Aviv on Saturday night and sprayed the interior with automatic rifle fire, killing three people and injuring 11.

 

Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said it was "most likely a criminal attack and not a terror attack." Tel Aviv has been a target for Palestinian militants in the past.

 

He said the gunman burst into the basement of the Tel Aviv Gay and Lesbian Association and opened fire on a support group for gay teenagers.

 

Police are searching the area for the gunman, who fled the scene, he said. Roadblocks were set up.

 

Rescue services said six of the wounded were badly hurt.

 

"This was a hate crime, a premeditated attack," witness Yaniv Weisman told Channel 10 TV. He said Cafe Noir, the basement club, was popular with youth.

 

"Those hurt were very young," he said.

 

Openly gay Knesset lawmaker Nitzan Horowitz said it was "without a doubt the biggest ever attack on the Israeli gay community, we are all in shock."

 

Witnesses told Israeli media that the gunman was dressed all in black, and described the scene as a "bloodbath."

 

from http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=8230668

[uwsman2]

Shocking - the community rallies

 

This is indeed shocking news. Tel Aviv is such a cosmopolitan city, so liberal and so like NY in many ways, that one forgets at times one is in the middle east and one is in a country where fanatical religious extremists with weapons are free to do their thing. Remember that Rabin was assassinated in the middle of a big public gathering in Tel Aviv by one of these right-wing fanatics.

 

On the BBC website there is film of a spontaneous protest demonstration mounted by the gay community shortly after the shooting. There is also an interview with a city council member on one of the videos.

[+ Italiano]

Very shocking and sad.

 

Me too, I always thought that Tel Aviv is one of the most liberal cities I have ever visited (I was there 8 times in 15 years, last time 2 years ago), super gay friendly, an openly gay beach in the middle of the city, gay couple walking hand by hand etc, such a contrast for what one would think about the whole Middle East.

 

But hey, hateful people exist everywhere.

[JT Brooklyn]

Very shocking and sad.

 

Me too, I always thought that Tel Aviv is one of the most liberal cities I have ever visited (I was there 8 times in 15 years, last time 2 years ago), super gay friendly, an openly gay beach in the middle of the city, gay couple walking hand by hand etc, such a contrast for what one would think about the whole Middle East.

 

But hey, hateful people exist everywhere.

Exactly..Where and When No One ever really knows!

[+ glutes]

Shalom!

 

Good for the Israelis!

Would Obama show up at a similar (God forbid we'll need one) rally in US??

 

TEL AVIV (Reuters) - Tens of thousands of Israelis gathered in central Tel Aviv on Saturday to express solidarity with the gay community, a week after a gunman killed two people at a gay youth center.

 

President Shimon Peres led political leaders in the show of support and spoke from a podium decorated with the rainbow flag.

 

"The bullets that hit the gay community at the beginning of the week struck us all as people, as Jews, as Israelis ... criminals will not set our agenda," Peres said in a speech.

 

http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSTRE57722X20090808