Haifa Pride
{{short description|Annual LGBT event in Haifa, Israel}}
{{Infobox recurring event
| name = Haifa Pride
| native_name = {{Script/Hebrew|מצעד הגאווה בחיפה}}
| native_name_lang = he
| logo =
| image = Gay Pride in Haifa 2014 - Haifa City hall (16).JPG
| caption = Pride marchers at Haifa City Hall in 2014
| begins =
| ends =
| frequency = Annually
| venue =
| location = Haifa
| coordinates =
| country = Israel
| first = {{start date|2007}}{{cite news |title=Haifa Prepares for Its First Gay Pride Parade Thursday |url=http://www.haaretz.com/news/haifa-prepares-for-its-first-gay-pride-parade-thursday-1.223121 |work=Haaretz |first1=Yair |last1=Ettinger |first2=Jonathan |last2=Lis |date=June 14, 2007}}
| participants = 3,000 people
| activity =
| organised =
| member =
| website =
}}
File:Haifa Pride Parade 2007 - 22.JPG
Haifa Pride ({{langx|he|גאוות חיפה}}; {{ltr}}{{langx|ar|فخر حيفا}}) is an annual event which takes place in Haifa, Israel, in celebration of the LGBTQ community, was first hold in 2007.{{cite news |title=Thousands expected at Haifa's Pride Parade. 11th annual march to celebrate city's 'spirit of tolerance,' says Mayor Yona Yahav |url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/thousands-expected-at-haifas-annual-pride-parade/ |work=The Times of Israel |author=Toi Staff |date=June 30, 2017}} The main event is the Pride Parade which was attended by 3,000 people in 2016,{{cite news |title=Haifa's LGBT community holds largest pride parade yet |url=http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4820098,00.html |newspaper=Ynetnews |first=Ahiyeh |last=Raved |date=June 25, 2016}} including the city's mayor, Yona Yahav.{{cite news |title=Haifa mayor assaulted at city's Pride Parade |url=http://www.timesofisrael.com/haifa-mayor-assaulted-at-citys-pride-parade/ |work=The Times of Israel |date=June 24, 2016}} The 3 kilometer long parade route culminates in Gan HaEm Park in Haifa's Merkaz HaCarmel neighborhood on Mount Carmel.
History
= 2003–2009 =
In 2003, the Haifa LGBT Forum organized the city's first motorized pride parade. Days prior to the event, Israeli attorney, politician and columnist Yosef Paritzky delivered remarks at the opening of Haifa's pride festivities.{{cn|date=June 2025}} Since 2007, an annual pride march has been held, traversing the streets of central Carmel and culminating in a rally at Gan HaEm Park.{{cn|date=June 2025}} Starting in 2008, the parade has been organized in cooperation with the Haifa Municipality. The parades have been heavily secured by police and faced relatively mild protests from segments of the city's religious community.{{cn|date=June 2025}}
= 2010 =
In 2010, about a thousand people marched in the Haifa parade, and Mayor Yona Yahav gave a speech from the podium at the closing rally, which was met with boos and protests from a number of activists in the audience. He was the second mayor in Israel's history to speak at a Pride parade.{{cn|date=June 2025}}
= 2011 =
In 2011, the parade was the first to take place along President Boulevard, a route of approximately 800 metres that offered greater visibility than the Yefe Nof Promenade used in previous years.{{cn|date=June 2025}}
= 2014 =
The 2014, Haifa Pride Parade moved to the Hadar HaCarmel neighbourhood, proceeding along HaNevi’im and Herzl Streets before concluding at the Haifa Municipality building, where a large public festival of performances was held.{{cn|date=June 2025}}
= 2021 =
The 2021 Haifa Pride Parade, also referred to as "We Are All Haifa" march, took place on 18 June 2021 and was formally launched by Mayor Einat Kalisch-Rotem.{{Cite web |date=2021-06-17 |script-title=he:מצעד הגאווה בחיפה נחגג בפעם ה-14: "הדרך לשוויון עדיין ארוכה" - וואלה חדשות |title=metza'ad hagava bechifa nechageg bepa'am ha-14: "hadrach leshvayon adain aruka" - walla hadshot |trans-title=Haifa Pride Parade Celebrated for the 14th Time: "The Road to Equality is Still Long" - Walla News |url=http://news.walla.co.il/item/3442645 |access-date=2025-06-18 |website=וואלה |language=he}}
= 2023 =
The 2023 Haifa Pride Parade took place on 15 June 2023 as part of the 2023 Israeli judicial reform protests. With an estimated attendance of over 6,000 people, it was the largest pride march ever held in the city. The event opened with a minute’s silence in memory of Sarit Ahmed, who had been murdered the previous week because of her sexual orientation. The parade was headed by Israeli pop singer Dana International.{{Cite web |date=2023-06-05 |script-title=he:דנה אינטרנשיונל תוביל את מצעד הגאווה ה-16 של חיפה |title=dana internashiyonel tovil et metza'ad hagava ha-16 shel chifa |trans-title=Dana International will lead Haifa's 16th Pride Parade |url=https://haifa.mynet.co.il/food/article/rjpph11i8h |access-date=2025-06-18 |website=mynethaifa |language=he}}
During the march, Israeli police arrested three transgender participants. One arrestee had been carrying a Palestinian flag. Police reported that the individual had assaulted an officer, whereas multiple eyewitnesses disputed that claim.{{Cite news |script-title=he:המשטרה עצרה נער שהניף דגל פלסטין במצעד הגאווה בטענה שתקף שוטר |title=hameshtara atsra ne'er shehanif dgal plastin bematsad hagava bitana shtakef shoter |trans-title=Police arrest teenager who waved Palestinian flag at Pride parade, alleging he attacked police officer |url=https://www.haaretz.co.il/news/education/2023-06-15/ty-article/.premium/00000188-c010-d2e6-a9ab-e59c62660000 |work=Haaretz |language=he}} In its official statement, the police misgendered the detainees, and the detainees later alleged that officers used misogynistic, homophobic and transphobic slurs during the arrest.{{Cite web |last=Zav |first=Oran |date=2023-06-19 |script-title=he:שוטרים עצרו רק טרנסים במצעד הגאווה. "זה לא נראה מקרי" |title=shotrim atsru rek transim bematsad hagava. "ze le nir'a mikri" |trans-title=Cops only arrested trans people at the Pride parade. "It doesn't seem like a coincidence" |url=https://www.mekomit.co.il/%D7%A9%D7%95%D7%98%D7%A8%D7%99%D7%9D-%D7%A2%D7%A6%D7%A8%D7%95-%D7%A8%D7%A7-%D7%98%D7%A8%D7%A0%D7%A1%D7%99%D7%9D-%D7%91%D7%9E%D7%A6%D7%A2%D7%93-%D7%94%D7%92%D7%90%D7%95%D7%95%D7%94-%D7%96%D7%94/ |access-date=2025-06-18 |website=שיחה מקומית |language=he-IL}}
See also
{{portal|Israel|LGBTQ}}