A group of Orthodox Jews hired Mexican day laborers to dress in traditional Jewish garb and protest against the New York City gay pride parade Sunday.

A New York Times reporter noticed a group of men wearing the fringed Jewish prayer garments and holding up anti­gay signs in a barricade by the parade. Although the men were holding signs reading “Judaism prohibits homosexuality” with the logo of the Jewish Political Action Committee, the men were plainly Hispanic.

“They were Mexican laborers, protesting because they were paid to protest,” the Times reported, based on an admission from one of the protesters.

A (actually Jewish) member of the political action committee readily admitted they had paid the protesters, and claimed they were filling in for younger men who would normally protest. “The rabbis said that the yeshiva boys shouldn’t come out for this because of what they would see at the parade,” he said.

Of all the crazy costumes in the pride parade, somehow the protesters ended up to be the oddest sight to behold.

Orthodox Jews hired Mexican men to dress up as Orthodox Jews and protest the Pride Parade http://t.co/oitVpGr7oY pic.twitter.com/Fbz2zFv4Gp — Sarah N. Emerson (@SarahNEmerson) June 29, 2015

[Image via Shutterstock]

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