Jerusalem Police have given their final approval to gay pride celebrations, planned for the 21st of June, but also have warned that it might not include a parade. Police officials met Sunday with members of Open House, Jerusalem's LGBT community centre that had applied to put on the festival. Last month District Chief Cmdr. Ilan Franco gave tentative approval for a gay parade in the city on 21 June, adding that the final OK must come the district commander based on "the intelligence information and/or evidence he may have at hand, on any restrictions he sees fit to apply to the event, it's location, and arrangements." An ultra-Orthodox sect that staged a week of riots last year against gay pride celebrations in Jerusalem has warned that if a parade is permitted this year it will again take to the streets. Rabbi Oded Shmueli of the haredi sect warned the government last week not to approve the march. "Does everyone with an evil proclivity need to display it?" Rabbi Oded Shmueli asked on Army Radio. "They should at least have some shame. Why display it? People who want to commit murder or rob a bank are afraid of the shame. So what should we tell them to do- to go rob a bank; commit rape; murder; everything?" Last year's pride march was cancelled following a week of rioting in Jerusalem by the haredi. Thousands of sect members took to the streets for a week, setting fire to garbage cans and injuring more than a dozen people. Instead of holding a march Open House held a pride concert and celebration at Hebrew University where anyone entering the grounds was checked by police. There were no incidents. But the march preceding year was marred by violence. More than a than a dozen protestors were arrested and three people were stabbed. Almost 1,000 protestors lined the parade route. Bottles of urine and bags containing feces were hurled at marchers. Shortly after the parade began Shai Schlissel, a haredi member, rushed into the marchers on Ben Yehuda Street stabbing a man and a woman. Others in the parade attempted to subdue him. The third victim was a marcher who went to the aid of the other two victims. Schlissel is in prison for the attack. Police spokesperson Micky Rosenfeld said Sunday that if events develop making it impossible to ensure the safety of parade goers this year's pride would take a similar for as that held last summer. Ref: 365gay.com (m)