After weeks of major institutional groups pulling support from the Ottawa pride parade as a result of Capital Pride’s anti-Israel statements, the parade went on, with many celebrants marching against the Jewish state.
Organizations and institutions in Ottawa withdrew funds and participation from this year’s annual Capital Pride parade in August, including the Liberal Party, the University of Ottawa, Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario, and several Jewish community groups.
The parade featured signs expressing a sense of solidarity with Palestinians and the LGBT+ community, showing the “Progress Pride flag” and the Palestinian flag beside each other.
“The Ottawa Hospital and CHEO aren’t here but healthcare workers are,” one sign said. “We stand with Pride, not genocide.”
“Stonewall was an Intifada,” another sign said. “Pride is political.”
The Stonewall riots were what many called the first pride parade. It started when police officers raided a mafia-run gay club in New York City in 1969.
Intifada means to “shake off” in Arabic and is associated with uprisings and terror attacks on civilian locations in Israel. The deadly terrorist attack on October 7th is considered “Intifada” by anti-Israel activists.
The Green Party, representatives from the public labour union CUPE and NDP MPP Joel Harden were photographed in attendance.
Harden donned a Palestine banner and wore a rainbow dress suit to the parade.
In May, Harden was one of the Ontario NDP caucus members who walked out of the parliamentary chamber in protest against a ban on keffiyehs, a Palestinian headscarf connected to anti-Israel terrorist movements.
Ottawa police told True North the parade went on without a hitch Sunday, saying no incidents were reported.
The Jewish Federation of Ottawa, a group that penned a letter signed by six various Jewish community groups in Ottawa, being among the first major institutions to withdraw from the parade, hosted its own pride event Sunday at the Soloway Jewish Community Centre.
The event, which had over 250 guests, was hosted to support the LGBT+ community in Ottawa, which felt ostracized by Capital Pride’s anti-Israel stance.
“The event, held in partnership with the Greenberg Families Library, HaKibbutz, Hillel Ottawa, Jewish Family Services, Kehillat Beth Israel, Or Haneshamah, PJ Library Ottawa, the Soloway Jewish Community Centre, and Temple Israel Ottawa, brought together a diverse and vibrant cross-section of the community,” the group said.
Among those in attendance were Israel’s Ambassador to Canada Iddo Moed, MPP Lisa MacLeod, Deputy Mayor David Hill, and City Councillors Laine Johnson, Stephanie Plante, and Cathy Currie attended the breakfast as well as Alex Munter, the CEO of CHEO, and members of the Ottawa-Carleton district school board.
Award-winning Jewish drag queen Adrianna Exposée was the leading entertainer on Sunday.
“The Pride Breakfast is a testament to the Jewish Federation of Ottawa’s dedication to fostering an inclusive, welcoming environment for all individuals, regardless of their background or beliefs,” JFO said. “By bringing together community members, local leaders, and international representatives, the event underscored the power of solidarity and the importance of standing together to support diversity.”
