Rescue personnel treating a victim of the shooting at a gay club in Tel Aviv on Saturday night. (Image from Haaretz.)
[UPDATE: Haaretz has updated its story to state that "[a] gunman shot dead two people and wounded at least thirteen others” — not the three it earlier reported.]
From Haaretz:
A black-clad gunman shot dead two people and wounded at least thirteen others in an attack at a central Tel Aviv gay club on Saturday night. The gunman then fled the scene.
Israel Police said that the incident at the Ha’agudah club, on Nahmani Street, did not have a terror motive. The two victims were initially identified as a man and a woman.
At least eight people were wounded in the club, a police spokesman said. Channel 10 television said a police manhunt for the gunman was underway in the city. The channel also said that the police have closed all the gay clubs in Tel Aviv.
Ha’agudah is not a club in the bar sense; it is a gay community center. This has been pointed out by Joseph Dana on Twitter and is confirmed on this (admittedly simple) Web site. It notes that the Tel Aviv Community Center for “The Agudah,” which is the “Association of Gay Men, Lesbians, Bisexuals and Transgender in Israel,” is located on Nachmani Street.
Dana says “youths were sitting in the basement of a #lgbt community center. gunman entered and opened fire on everyone.” BreakingNews confirms:
The shooting occurred at a gay and lesbian center where youth get together every Saturday night. At the end of the evening, a gunman dressed in black walked into the center and opened fire.
Haaretz’s “Flash News” also notes that “M[ember of] K[nesset] Horowitz: T.A. shooting is worst attack ever on gay community in Israel.”
The Ynet News story is horrible to read:
One eyewitness to the shooting said, “The place looked like a slaughterhouse.” Another witness said the shooter had worn a mask. Civilians were warned to stay away from the area.
Eyal Amit, a member of the GLBT organization, told Ynet that many of the teens who met at the clubhouse had not yet informed their loved ones of their sexual orientation. “It’s a very sensitive situation. What we know is that in order to get here one must come here especially. This was not some random shooting,” he said.
This is horrid.
[UPDATE: AFP reports that "[t]he assailant then tried to attack a nearby gay bar but was blocked by guards, witnesses said.”
Crushing words from Maital Rozenboim at IsraLeft:
A 17 years old girl and a 24 years old man are the first two victims, while details are still missing as to the third. The man was a counselor for this group – a man whose job was to speak to these youngsters, assist them with their troubles dealing with their sexual orientation. His job was to help them find order in their world, find themselves, whichever self that may be.
This story has just made me sick. My thoughts go out to the LGBT people of Tel Aviv tonight.]
[FURTHER UPDATE:
A demonstration and vigil was held in the aftermath of a deadly shooting in Tel Aviv. (Image from Ynetnews.)
Good to see, at least, that the LGBT people of Tel Aviv and their allies took to the streets immediately after the shooting to demonstrate:
Thousands of LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered) Israelis have held an impromptu march through the streets of Tel Aviv after a masked gun man opened fire at a centre for gay teenagers, killing three late last night.
. . . .
Protestors held home made banners, rainbow flags and just simply marched with their friends in an act of defiance against the gun man.
Others lit candles in honour of the three teenagers who are now known to have died.
The power of community at terrifying times like this can be an amazing element of strength.
More from Ynetnews:
The marchers held gay community flags and signs reading “All together – without hatred and fear” and “Love – don’t kill”.
Revital, one of the participants, told Ynet, “The feeling is terrifying. We live in a bubble, believing that everything is fine. This is an act of pure unfounded hatred, which leads to the murder of children for being gays and lesbians. It’s very sad knowing that it’s still so.” ]
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Chris Geidner is the award-winning senior political editor at D.C.'s Metro Weekly and has written for The Atlantic Online, The American Prospect, Advocate.com, Salon and other publications, as well as at his blog, Law Dork. In 2011, he received the Excellence in News Writing Award from the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association for his coverage of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" repeal. Prior to moving to D.C. in 2009, he served as an attorney on the senior staff at the Ohio Attorney General's Office and had earlier worked for a leading Columbus law firm. An extended biography can be found
Okay, this was excruciating to read. Horrid is the right word, Chris. I just can’t believe this happened.
It’s a sad, sad story of religious fanaticism, public atmosphere and a violent society. There’s a thin thread that connects this atrocity to other atrocities, the perception of a nation who taught itself that violence and guns are capable of settling disputes without compromise or acknowledging the other side.
two people – the death toll was back at 2 as of this morning in Israel (7 hours ahead of EST, for reference) and as is the case with such mistakes, the Israeli media provided no explanation for this – were killed, and it seems that not only the gunman is to blame. It’s a public atmosphere of intolerance. It’s Members of the Knesset (Israeli parliament) that allow themselves to say that Homosexuals should be treated like bird flu, it’s the fact that there is an ongoing debate about Pride Parades in the streets of Israel’s capital city. It’s hatred and fear of what is different and non-mainstream. It’s the feeling that unresolved conflicts are not to be resolved by negotiations and compromise, but by means of violence and force, a feeling derived directly from the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. It’s a highly “Gay unfriendly” society, where “Gay” is used as a derogatory word. And worse yet – it isn’t the first time. Some three or four years ago, during the disputed and heavily guarded Jerusalem Pride Parade (It will be noted Jerusalem is the capital city of Israel), an ultra-orthodox protester managed to break through and stab and injure 3 paraders with a kitchen knife.
In short, this hate crime emphasizes and encapsulate many of the trends in contemporary Israeli mainstream that lead to the establishment of israleft.org, and our site will deal with the topic in the coming days.
If all we have against guns and fanaticism is words, we’re going to do our best to make them as sharp and well-aimed as possible.
Very tragic to be so motivated by hate you think violence solves anything. These people were just getting started in life. How very, very sad.
This is terrible news in a region that does not need any further terrible news. Hopefully there will be comfort soon to these people.