After arrests of family members in attack of 16-year-old outside youth shelter, Haifa protest [is] dedicated to acceptance of LGBTQ people in Arab society. <small>Yasmine Bakria for Ha’aretz Aug 3</small>
Some 200 [Arabs and Jews from the LGBTQ community and social activists] protested in Haifa on Thursday against homophobia in the Arab community, following the stabbing of a 16-year-old teen suspectedly by his brothers outside of an LGBTQ shelter in Tel Aviv last week.
[They] called for acceptance of LGBTQ people in Arab society, noting the challenges these individuals face [there]. According to activists, it was the first-ever LGBTQ protest in Israel to focus on the Arab community.
Hadash lawmaker Aida Touma-Sliman attended the protest... "There is no room in our community for using violence against the LGBT community. The time has come for us to have a clear stance that will protect them from any discrimination, oppression or physical violence."
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The police suspect that the victim's brothers, who were seen arguing with him outside the Beit Dror youth shelter on Friday, stabbed him because of his sexual orientation. He was seriously wounded and underwent surgery in Ichilov hospital, where he is currently in stable condition, his room guarded by the police.
A source at Beit Dror said [the boy had been] removed from his home under [authority] from social services due to harassment from his family. Following the suspects' arrest, Beit Dror expressed relief and said it will continue, "despite the difficult circumstances, to try and make the youth staying there feel protected."